The number of passengers traveling in Deutsche Bahn long‑distance services without a valid ticket has risen in recent years, according to answers the Federal Ministry of Justice gave to a parliamentary question from the Left. The “Rheinische Post” reported on this in its Monday edition.
In 2024, DB long‑distance trains recorded more than 268 000 passengers without a valid ticket. In 2023 the figure was about 264 000, and in 2022 nearly 214 000 people boarded trains without a ticket. Only a small fraction of those caught were able to provide a ticket later.
At the same time, the number of prosecutions for fare‑evasion has also climbed sharply. In 2024 there were 18 010 criminal complaints for obtaining services illegally (§ 265a StGB). The previous years saw 17 125 complaints in 2023 and 12 648 in 2022.
The government does not have official figures for public transport. However, more than 140 000 cases of “freight evasion” were registered nationwide in 2024-more than the roughly 132 000 cases in 2022 but slightly fewer than the 144 000 cases in 2023.
Bundestag MP Luke Hoß, the Left Party’s spokesperson on legal affairs, criticized the approach: “Increasing numbers of people cannot afford a bus ticket, yet the state punishes them with exaggerated fines and even sends those who cannot pay to prison”. He called on the government to immediately abolish the prosecution of petty offences and the alternative imprisonment sentence.
