Bus travel is cheaper almost everywhere than in Bonn VRS has some of the highest ticket prices in Germany

Bonn · The Rhein-Sieg Transport Association (VRS) in Cologne and Bonn has some of the highest ticket prices in Germany. This information comes as the result of an ADAC survey of cities with at least 300,000 inhabitants and bus and rail networks.

 VRS ticket vending machine in Bonn.

VRS ticket vending machine in Bonn.

Foto: Benjamin Westhoff

A study by the ADAC automobile club of Germany has found that public transport in areas covered by VRS is particularly expensive. The Rhine-Sieg Transport Association (VRS) covers the Cologne/Bonn region. At a price of 105.50 euros, the VRS offers the second most expensive monthly pass in Germany.

Commuters in Cologne and Bonn pay 85 percent more per month than in Munich, where the ticket costs 57 euros. In Bielefeld, the TeutoOWL transport association charges 82.50 euros. The Rhine-Ruhr Transport Association (VRR) charges 79.20 euros for a monthly pass which covers the major cities of Bochum, Dortmund, Essen, Düsseldorf and Wuppertal. In Duisburg, the monthly pass costs only 75.60 euros.

Highest price in all of Germany for the one-day ticket

At 8.80 euros, the day ticket in Cologne and Bonn is the most expensive in all of Germany: VRS customers pay almost 65 percent more for the 24-hour ticket than in Frankfurt (5.35 euros). At VRR, it costs 7.20 euros, about 18 percent less than in Cologne and Bonn. According to the ADAC, the VRS also charges more when it comes to weekly tickets - which cost 29.50 euros, with only Berlin and Hamburg being more expensive. In Munich, a weekly ticket costs 17.80 euros.

"The roads in NRW's major cities are bursting at the seams. But when public transport tickets for congested cities on the Rhine and Ruhr come with some of the highest price tags, even in a nationwide comparison, this deters many people from switching to buses and trains from their cars," says Roman Suthold of the ADAC in NRW. "Of course, factors such as frequency, punctuality or cleanliness play an important role, but price is also a very decisive factor." He calls for a uniform statewide tariff structure. Above all, occasional users should be offered better deals. However, Suthold says that the first steps have already been taken with the introduction of a flexible ticket.

(Orig. text: Richard Bongartz; Translation: ck)
Meistgelesen
Neueste Artikel
Zum Thema
Aus dem Ressort