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Deutschlandticket-Stellvertreter
Zwei Studierende an der U-Bahn-Haltestelle
RUB, Marquard
Upgrade

Turn your semester ticket into the Deutschland-Ticket

Students have the option of taking out a subscription to upgrade their semester ticket to the Deutschland-Ticket, which is valid across the whole of Germany. At the start of the summer semester 2023, the surcharge will be 12.33 euros per month; the subscription can be cancelled monthly.

Students at Ruhr University Bochum use their semester ticket to travel on public transport in the Ruhr region (VRR) and on regional transport operated by Deutsche Bahn in the entire state of North Rhine-Westphalia. As of 1 May 2023, students can upgrade their semester ticket to the Deutschland-Ticket by taking out a subscription that can be cancelled on a monthly basis.

By paying an extra 12.33 euros per month for the rest of the summer semester 2023, students can now also travel outside North Rhine-Westphalia.

The regular semester ticket remains a good option for all those who only travel in North Rhine-Westphalia.

How to get the Deutschland-Ticket upgrade

The upgrade is available only via the RIDE Campus app.

Log in with your RUB loginID and password.

You can pay via PayPal, credit card or direct debit.

RIDE - RUB Access

The surcharge is a subscription that can be cancelled on a monthly basis, just like the Deutschland-Ticket. You’ll have to renew your subscription for each semester.

When upgrading your semester ticket to the Deutschland-Ticket, please note:

  • Your Deutschland-Ticket upgrade doesn’t automatically allow you to take along another person or to transport your bicycle on trains across all of Germany; you can still do both in the VRR area (read more in our section on the semester ticket).
  • Please carry both tickets with you when travelling within the VRR area. This will prevent any problems when your ticket is checked, as the Deutschland-Ticket doesn’t cover the transport of an additional person or bicycle across the whole of Germany.
  • When your ticket is checked, you must show your semester ticket, your photo ID and the barcode of the surcharge.
  • VRR also recommends that you carry a certificate of enrolment with you when travelling outside NRW, in case you encounter difficulties during checks.

FAQ

Can I buy and cancel the Deutschland-Ticket at any time?

Yes, but you pay the subscription surcharge for one full calendar month, not for a period of 30 days.

  • This means that if you buy the Deutschland-Ticket on 25 July, you’ll have to pay the full monthly subscription of 12.33 euros for July. If you don’t cancel your monthly subscription, it will be automatically renewed at the beginning of each next calendar month until the end of the semester.

The student subscription can be cancelled at any time.

  • For example, if you don’t want to renew your subscription for the month of August, you can still cancel on 31 July.

How is the surcharge for the Deutschland-Ticket subscription calculated?

The surcharge is calculated as follows: the price for the Deutschland-Ticket (49 euros per month) minus the price of the semester ticket included in the social insurance contribution (220.02 euros in the summer semester 2023, broken down into monthly payments).

For the summer semester 2023, we thus get:
49 euros – 220.02 euros : 6 = 12.33 euros

Do I have to pay the surcharge for the Deutschland-Ticket?
No, the surcharge is optional. Only students who want to upgrade their VRR and NRW ticket to the Deutschland-Ticket will have to take out the additional (monthly) subscription. If you only travel in NRW, the regular semester ticket remains your best option. And even if you have subscribed to the Deutschland-Ticket, you can cancel it monthly. The only mandatory costs included in the social insurance contribution are the fees for the semester ticket (> VRR and NRW ticket); they are paid by all students out of solidarity – including by students who don’t (want to) use the semester ticket at all. That’s the only way we can afford to provide the semester ticket for our students.

Contact

If you have any problems with your loginID and password, please submit a support ticket to IT.Service

Ruhr University Bochum is not the responsible authority for the Deutschland-Ticket; the responsibility lies with the local public transport company BOGESTRA. Should you have any problems with the Deutschland-Ticket, see the following page for contact details:

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