VDV balance 2025: marginal ridership growth and rising personnel costs in German public transport

Public transport ridership in Germany increased slightly in 2025, alongside higher personnel costs and stable Deutschland-Ticket subscription levels following a further price increase.

The 2025 annual balance published by the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV) on 27 January 2026 provides an overview of passenger volumes, ticket usage and cost structures across the German public transport sector. The data are based on sector-wide calculations covering local and regional public transport services nationwide.

Public transport ridership in Germany 2025: VDV picture

According to the VDV, public transport ridership in Germany reached 9.86 billion passenger trips in 2025. This corresponds to a year-on-year increase of 0.8 percent. The figures include bus, tram, metro and regional rail services within the German ÖPNV system and reflect aggregated usage across urban centres and rural areas.

Daily demand levels remained high, with approximately 24 million passenger journeys recorded per day across the country, according to the association’s calculations. The VDV reports that passenger volumes in 2025 remained below pre-pandemic peak levels but above those recorded in the immediate post-pandemic period.

The Deutschland-Ticket continued to represent a significant share of ticketing within public transport in Germany. By the end of 2025, around 14.6 million people held a Deutschland-Ticket subscription. Standard subscriptions accounted for 74 percent of the total, while job tickets represented 15 percent and semester tickets 11 percent.

The monthly price of the Deutschland-Ticket increased on 1 January 2026 from 58 to 63 euros. Following the price adjustment, the cancellation rate was recorded at 5.75 percent. This compares with a cancellation rate of around eight percent after the previous price increase implemented in 2025, according to VDV data.

Cost pressure on public transport companies

On the cost side, personnel expenses represented the most significant growth factor for public transport operators in Germany during 2025. The VDV reports that personnel costs increased by five percent compared with the previous year. Other major operating cost components, including electricity and diesel, showed only moderate increases or slight decreases over the same period.

The association also refers to sector data indicating a decline in productivity in driving operations in recent years. According to the analysis cited by the VDV, the availability of driving staff has decreased, alongside shorter collectively agreed working hours and higher recorded absence times.

In its 2025 balance, the VDV outlines the current federal funding and legislative framework affecting public transport in Germany. The association identifies the ongoing fourth amendment of the Municipal Transport Financing Act (GVFG) as a central instrument for the financing of public transport infrastructure projects at municipal level.

The GVFG provides federal funding for the modernisation and renewal of public transport infrastructure and is currently subject to further legislative adjustments. According to the VDV, proposals submitted in the context of the amendment address eligibility criteria, time limits, digitalisation measures and the adjustment of funding volumes to construction cost developments.

The VDV also refers to the status of discussions concerning the public transport modernisation pact announced in the federal coalition agreement, as well as the ongoing development of the Regionalisation Act. According to the association, no binding decisions on these elements had been adopted by the end of 2025.

“We clearly see no wave of cancellations this year either as a result of the price increase of the Deutschland-Ticket. This is good and important for the sector’s revenue situation, which continues to be strained by low ticket prices. Going forward, we must succeed together with the federal government and the Länder in ensuring stability in the overall financing of the Deutschland-Ticket, so that we can unlock the further potential of this offering. This requires, overall, adequate funding from public budgets, the price index already agreed between the transport ministers, and the further development of a nationwide, fair revenue distribution”, states VDV president Ingo Wortmann.

He adds: “We want to pay good wages and ensure good working conditions. But this must not lead to availability and deployment times continuing to decline further. All parties involved, particularly in the context of collective bargaining negotiations, must be aware that a high-performing public transport system is only possible if we continue to maintain the strong social partnership between employees and employers. In economically very strained times for municipalities and the sector, everyone must make their contribution so that public transport remains a good employer, while at the same time enabling us to fulfil our mandate as a mobility service provider for society as effectively as possible.”