Faster access to discounted tickets with the new customer card

Young passengers and volunteers with BildungsTickets or trainees who use discounted weekly and monthly tickets in the Upper Elbe Transport Association (VVO) require proof of eligibility, the so-called customer card. However, the issuing of this card was previously handled differently by the transport companies and is now being standardised.

"Since 1 August 2024, it has been possible to order the customer card online via the association's website at www.vvo-online.de/kundenkarte," explains Alexandra Striebeck, project manager at VVO. "Children up to their 15th birthday or their parents simply fill in their personal details and upload a photo, while users over the age of 15 also need proof of school or training and the customer card is sent to their home by email." With this card "in their pocket", whether printed out or as a PDF on their phone, they can then purchase the discounted ticket. This is, for example, a subscription for the BildungsTicket, which can be ordered from Dresdner Verkehrsbetriebe AG (DVB), Deutsche Bahn, Regionalverkehr Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge, Regionalbus Oberlausitz or Verkehrsgesellschaft Hoyerswerda. Alternatively, discounted weekly or monthly tickets can also be purchased in conjunction with the card at all ticket machines and in the apps. The customer card and ticket are then presented together at the ticket inspection. "As these heavily discounted tickets are linked to the respective person, these cards have been available in Dresden and the region for many decades," says Alexandra Striebeck, recalling her own childhood. "This is now the first step; in the future, the card will also be available digitally for the wallet in smartphones." Passengers who still have a classic customer card can continue to use it until it expires.

Information on the low-cost tickets for school pupils, people in training or those doing voluntary service, as well as on the timetable and fares, is available from the transport companies, at www.vvo-online.de and by telephone on 0351 8526555.