Bus and tram: GeldKarte as means of payment and e-ticket
Hanover with "üstra Hannoversche Verkehrsbetriebe AG" became one of the first cities to introduce cashless payment for its public transport system, when it launched tix points in September 1997.
Today more than 250 public transport corporations have recognized the advantages of the GeldKarte, and the number is still growing. Tickets can be bought with the GeldKarte on busses, at ticket machines for the underground and trams, and in customer centres.
Tip: Some transport corporations – e.g. in Bremen, Bremerhaven, Halle, Munich or Oldenburg – give you discounts if you pay with your electronic purse!
This is how you buy a ticket on board:
Paying with your GeldKarte at the bus drivers' payment machine
- After selecting your ticket at the driver's payment machine, or at the machine elsewhere on board, it shows the fare payable.
- Simply insert your loaded GeldKarte into the slot.
- In some cases, e.g. on the bus, you are required to confirm the amount shown by pressing a button (you do not need a PIN).
- The fare is then debited to your card, and the new balance is shown.
- The machine prints out your ticket, and you're off!
The GeldKarte as so-called e-ticket
However, the GeldKarte is even more practical than this. Public transport operators are not just encouraging cashless ticketing. Many of them are now introducing fully electronic ticketing. In this system, no ticket is issued at all – the fare and route information is simply stored directly on the microchip as an electronic ticket.
Paying for tickets of the Deutsche Bahn AG
How to pay at a DB Automat:
Guided Tour (in German)
Are you travelling by train in short-distance traffic? – All blue automats of Deutsche Bahn AG accept GeldKarte payments.
Unfortunately, the red automats selling tickets for long-distance traffic do not accept GeldKarte payments.