Passenger transport
Comprehensive goodwill arrangements
- Passengers who had booked tickets before March 13, 2020, were able to convert the value of their ticket into a travel voucher free of charge up to and including May 4, 2020.
- Since May 4, 2020, our customers have been able to use any long-distance tickets booked up to and including March 13, 2020, for journeys up to and including October 31, 2020 without being tied to a specific train.
- Passengers with a flexible ticket or flexible business ticket were able to cancel their tickets free of charge, irrespective of the special goodwill policy.
Mandatory use of masks on public transport
The Federal states have agreed to make face masks compulsory on trains throughout Germany and have implemented this requirement in their respective regulations. We welcome this measure and are supporting the Federal states in its implementation. We provide information about this mask requirement on trains and at stations and in all media and call on passengers to comply. We continue to rely on the cooperation, understanding and mutual consideration of all passengers. At present, the vast majority of our passengers are complying with the requirement to cover mouth and nose.
Our employees are also required to wear face masks on board our trains and to actively inform our guests about the obligation to wear a mask. If our employees encounter passengers who are not wearing a face mask on our trains, the passengers concerned are asked to comply with the mask obligation. If necessary, the Federal police are involved. The health of our employees and passengers is our top priority.
Our prevention teams raise awareness among railway customers regarding the need to wear a face mask and tell them how they can protect themselves from being infected with Covid-19 while traveling. Passengers without a mask are given a free disposable mask by DB employees.
Hygiene and cleaning campaign
We have launched a hygiene and cleanliness campaign: additional cleaning personnel and modified cleaning plans ensure that passengers are safe on trains and at train stations even during this Covid-19 era.
- From the middle of May 2020, we significantly increased the number of cleaning personnel on board long-distance trains: by July 2020, we will have 500 employees – twice as many as before – cleaning Intercity Express (ICE) and Intercity trains during journeys. By August 2020, there will be 600 cleaners on board. Nationwide, more than 4,300 employees are working hard to keep trains and stations clean.
- Long-distance trains are cleaned on deployment at the depot and every two hours during journeys. DB Regional trains are cleaned three times a day on average, and more frequently on busy lines. The main focus of the cleaning is on contact surfaces. These surfaces in trains are cleaned several times during the journey and at turning stations.
- At stations, DB employees clean door handles, handrails, the buttons in elevators and the controls on ticket and vending machines particularly frequently.
- Disinfectant dispensers are currently available at over 600 stations.
Capacity utilization display for online bookings
For online bookings, we now provide a real-time capacity utilization warning that indicates how busy a long-distance train already is.
Attractive price offers
- We are passing on the VAT cut provided as part of the economic stimulus package of the Federal Government to our long-distance customers.
- With the 20-trip ticket, customers can purchase 20 individual journeys for a fixed route including a long-distance stretch. These can be redeemed flexibly within one month. Passengers are not tied to a specific train.