Open Letter: Time for Fair Play in the Canine Commute!
Deutschlandticket: A Ticket for Everyone?
To the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport
Let’s skip the preamble. Germany’s cherry picking policy of overcharging dog owners for train travel is simply baffling. If the Deutschland-Ticket was designed to champion climate-friendly public transport for all, then excessively squeezing pet owners for extra cash is a masterclass in dismantling equity. The real estate prices for a pet to occupy a patch of floor space reeks of opportunism, not logic.
Let’s unpack the Canine Commute nonsense:
The Deutschland-Ticket - hailed as the great equaliser of public transport - remains an exclusive club. People can endlessly criss-cross the country for €58 a month, yet a single journey for one dog can put you out of pocket with a substantially higher fare. Perhaps you should rebrand these dog tickets to 'ruff deals'!
Take a look at the pricing structure: a marvel of inconsistency across the network. It’s often cheaper to take a dog on an ICE than a regional train. Why? Are Regional Train carriages plated with canine-gold? A single round trip for one dog on a Regional Train can cost €60 - more than a full tank of petrol in some cars. Add a second dog, and suddenly you’re approaching weekend car rental territory, which comes with the added benefit of proper luggage space, air conditioning that works and a shot at coffee that doesn’t reek of despair. And yet, the convenient option is the train, you say?
Germany’s animal welfare laws:
The Tierschutzgesetz calls for the humane treatment of animals, but Deutsche Bahn by policy treats dogs as inconvenient objects—space-stealers and mess-makers.
And those alleged justifications...
So much space, you say?
Sure, dogs take up room. But let’s crunch the numbers:
A suitcase: 0.12 m³.
A pram: 0.24 m³.
A bike: 1.188 m³.
A medium sized dog is a modest 0.084 m³—less than half the space of a suitcase, a third of a pram and just 7% of a bike.
Bikes get entire dedicated carriages and safety straps. Children, approximating 0.12 m³ per child, travel for free, complete with dedicated compartments, free seats and on-board entertainment. Dogs pay full freight for zero infrastructure, no designated areas and are at the constant whim of other passengers. 'PawsengerService' currently amounts to a sometimes well-placed kick from somebody in the aisle.
Mess, you say?
Have you met human passengers? The state of train toilets alone would make a dog blush. Services are a jackpot of drunken accidents, fast food wrappers, overflowing bins and the occasional vomit stain. If anything, dogs should be charging Deutsche Bahn for enduring these sights and smells.
The European perspective:
Germany’s neighbours have figured this out. Austria charges dogs 10% of a standard fare, as little as €2. Belgium - €3. France - €7. Italy, Poland, Czech Republic: under €5. The UK - Free. Germany, though, seems determined to charge dogs like they’re demanding Louis Vuitton pillows, champagne service and a window seat.
The only place with pricier dog travel is Switzerland, which at least has the decency to run trains on time.
The bigger picture:
With 21% of German households owning dogs, this policy alienates millions of potential Deutschland-Ticket users. Even if just a fraction of them paid an extra €5 monthly, DB could rake in €50 million*. Enough to fund a proper PawsengerService, like a dedicated dog-friendly compartment and maybe even a treat or two.
Instead, we’re subjected to inconsistent, opaque and extortionate fees, zero comfort and no infrastructure to speak of. If only dogs would unionise, Deutsche Bahn would be in trouble.
The message is clear:
At Deutsche Bahn, bicycles have more value than dogs. As does luggage, with its dedicated space to avoid injury.
To be explicit: Penalising pet owners in this manner is discriminatory, exploitative and ultimately tone-deaf to the varying needs of travellers. It undermines equitable efforts and the desirability of sustainable travel.
If the Ministry is serious about inclusivity and climate goals, the answer is obvious: stop exploiting pet owners and align dog travel costs with the goals of accessibility and fairness. It is extraordinarily easy to fix this. Simplify the pricing and lower the cost, as right now, there is absolutely no PawsengerService worth barking about.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen,
Deutsche Barkbahn
I saw your post. I'm interrailing with my dog. I am asked to pay 124 euro for my pug dog to travel from Wien to Brussels via Frankfurt. Literally 1/3 of the price of my 7 days interrail pass. No other train operator charges such an extortionate price. It is so unfair and out of touch with reality.