Losses in the millions: Complaint about systematic abuse of Deutschlandticket

Since the beginning of 2025, the Deutschlandticket has cost 58 instead of 49 euros. However, this has apparently not affected the popularity of the flat-rate ticket for local public transport. Since its introduction in May 2023, the number of flat-rate tickets sold has risen from 9 million to almost 14 million. However, the offer is not only popular with paying customers. According to the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (RMV), the number of fraud attempts has reached alarming proportions.

RMV, which is based in Hofheim am Taunus, presented its balance sheet for 2024 and forecasts on Friday. According to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Knut Ringat, Managing Director of the public transport association, revealed that there are also around one million counterfeit or unpaid German tickets in circulation. There is a systematic, digitalized abuse. RMV had already complained about large-scale fraud with the flat-rate tickets last year. According to the report, fraudsters using stolen or falsified bank details caused millions in losses for the association.

According to the report, Ringat spoke at the time of fraudulent travel services "on an unprecedented scale". The perpetrators allegedly bought the tickets by SEPA direct debit mandate and then failed to pay. The scam is well known: According to Dresdner Verkehrsbetriebe (DVB), criminals are also ordering Germany tickets online on a large scale and providing false or stolen account details. The debit then either fails or debits an account whose holder did not even initiate the order. DVB alone was affected by around 15,000 chargebacks in May, which is said to have resulted in economic losses of around 1.4 million euros.

Verification via online banking interface

To prevent such scams, RMV introduced an additional security measure in the summer. Since then, customers have had to confirm their account details via the Tink open banking platform provided by Visa when a new SEPA direct debit is booked. This requires an online banking account. According to RMV, this verification reduces the risk of fraud because the information provided via the online interface comes directly from the purchaser's bank. Since the end of 2023, Deutsche Bahn (DB) has required its customers to verify their account via Tink or Verimi when they take out a subscription. This procedure reduces fraud, but also deters prospective customers.

In general, Ringat described the "unlimited public transport" offer as a "hit" despite its bad taste. There is no indication of a decline in the number of active subscriptions. There are currently 600,000 subscriptions in the RMV area. In Frankfurt alone, more than one in three people have one, similar to Munich and Berlin. In 2024, a record-breaking 825 million passengers were transported on buses and trains around the Rhine and Main rivers and Central Hesse, generating revenue of 880 million euros.

According to RMV, the punctuality of rail trains in 2024 was roughly on a par with the previous year (S-Bahn: 87%; regional rail: 84.7%). However, reliability has declined. One of the main reasons for this was a "quadrupling of cancellations due to understaffed signal boxes". Verbund announced an expansion of the Kira research project, which allows test users within the service area, for example in Darmstadt and the Offenbach district, to book journeys with largely autonomous shuttles via an on-demand app. It was actually due to expire at the end of 2024.

(nen)