A ballot is a vote to which all students at the university are called. At our university, ballots are held every January on bus, train and culture tickets. The question of which semester ticket the student body wants is of such great importance, as the result must reflect the will of the entire student body. This ballot will take place online from 15.01.24 to 23.01.24 and relates to the winter semester 2024/25. You will receive the link by email via your student email address.

As every year, you can vote for the cultural semester ticket, the nationwide semester ticket and the bus ticket. This year you also have the opportunity to vote for the Germany-wide semester ticket.

No price guarantee can currently be given. However, it looks as if the ticket will cost €29.40 per month, i.e. €176.40 per semester. However, if the price of the Deutschlandticket increases to €59, the price could rise to €35 per month, i.e. €210 per semester.

The semester ticket as you have it now would cost €166.53 in the winter semester 2024/25. The price is made up of €115.63 for the state-wide semester ticket and €50.90 for the city bus ticket. That would be €19.27 per month for the train ticket and €8.48 per month for the bus ticket. Together that would be €27.76 per month.
For comparison: In the winter semester 23/24, you paid €85.89 for the national train ticket and €50.90 for the bus ticket, i.e. a total of €136.79. The price of these tickets will continue to rise in the future, but a concrete price increase cannot yet be determined.

The current upgrade option of the semester ticket to the Deutschlandticket for currently €26.20 per month will be available until the winter semester 2024/25, but then it will cost €21.25. If the Germany-wide semester ticket is not accepted, but the Lower Saxony-wide rail ticket is, you would have to pay the full price for the “normal” Deutschlandticket from the summer semester 2025 if required. The price of the “normal” Deutschlandticket of €49 per month is also likely to increase.

If the ballot is not in favour of the separate bus ticket, there will probably be restrictions on bus services. This will happen if the bus ticket does not find a majority or the Germany-wide semester ticket is accepted. The night buses and the campus line 23 could then be cancelled. The reason for this is that the GÖVB lacks funds from the student body, which are currently used to finance bus routes.

If all tickets receive the necessary majority, the Germany-wide semester ticket will be introduced automatically. The nationwide rail ticket and the city bus ticket will be suspended or cancelled.

If the Germany-wide semester ticket is accepted, it will be compulsory for all students from the winter semester 2024/25. The ticket will then allow you to use all public transport in Germany. The nationwide train ticket and the city bus ticket will be suspended or cancelled.

The Germany-wide semester ticket is a solidarity ticket. This means that the entire student body is obliged to purchase it. Incidentally, the current semester ticket is also a solidarity ticket. As usual, the ticket price must be transferred together with the semester fees at the start of the new semester.
There are only exceptions under certain conditions. For example, in the case of double enrolment, if the ticket has already been paid for at another university, on presentation of a severely disabled person’s pass or in cases of hardship.

In view of the rising cost of living, the price increase of the semester ticket represents a considerable additional burden for many students. The decision to introduce the Germany-wide semester ticket must therefore be kept as democratic as possible and be taken by the student body.
If the Germany-wide semester ticket is accepted, the current contracts will be suspended or cancelled. At the moment, however, it is not possible to predict how the price of the Germany-wide semester ticket will develop. However, German price increases cannot be ruled out. The nationwide semester ticket will also become more and more expensive in the future, but in the winter semester 2024/25 it will still be cheaper than the nationwide semester ticket. The decision and the resulting consequences of such additional costs must be borne by the entire student body. It is therefore important that as much of the student body as possible makes this decision.

If the Germany-wide semester ticket is accepted, there will be a smooth transition to the 2024/25 winter semester. In the winter semester 2025/26, there will probably be another vote on the continuation of the ticket. It is not yet clear whether the nationwide rail ticket will still be an option in the winter semester 2025/26 and whether there will be a choice again. If the ticket is rejected in the ballot in 2025, the nationwide semester ticket would be cancelled.
If all tickets are rejected, the regular cancellation periods of the current contractual partners will apply. Accordingly, the nationwide rail ticket would remain in place at the current conditions until the winter semester 25/26.

A binding price forecast for the Germany-wide semester ticket is currently not available. However, the price of the ticket is based on that of the “normal” Deutschlandticket by 60%. At the current price of €49 for the Deutschlandticket, the Germany-wide semester ticket would cost €29.40. If the price of the “normal” Deutschlandticket increases, the price of the Germany-wide semester ticket will also increase. It is possible that the Germany-wide semester ticket will already cost €35 per month in the winter semester 2024/25.

Reimbursement of the ticket price will continue to be handled by the AStA’s Social Department. However, it will now also be possible to have the costs reimbursed for stays abroad. The other options for reimbursement, i.e. for double enrolment, severe disability or hardship cases, will remain in place.

This issue has not yet been finalised. The Germany-wide semester ticket is to be introduced as an e-ticket. Whether this can also be read out via the current student ID card is currently being examined.

The Germany-wide semester ticket is worthwhile for you if you are also travelling outside Lower Saxony on local trains and want to use public transport in other cities. If you are only travelling within Lower Saxony or only at the university location, the current semester ticket is probably sufficient. You would still have to pay for ICE or IC tickets yourself and without discounts. For journeys to the south of Germany, for example, the Germany-wide semester ticket would only be helpful at your destination so that you can use local public transport there. Ultimately, the question of the Germany-wide semester ticket remains a personal one that everyone has to decide for themselves.