The New Rhineland Tariff

• Available in three price tiers or as a short-distance option​

• Valid for a single trip with a transfer within the specified time window

• Available in three price tiers​

• Valid for 24 hours from the time of validation (regardless of the day of the week or operating day)​

• Available for one person or for up to five people

• New! With the 24hTicket for 5 people, bicycles can no longer be carried in place of passengers.

• The 24-Hour Bike Ticket Replaces Previous Single-Ride Tickets for Bicycles​

• For a flat rate of 4.50 euros, you can bring your bike on as many trips as you like within a 24-hour period on the Rheinlandnetz.

• Available in three price tiers (1a = 90 euros, 1b = 100 euros, 2 = 150 euros, 3 = 300 euros)​

• Available for individual purchase or as a subscription​

• Accompaniment policy: One adult and up to three children after 7:00 p.m. on weekdays; all day on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays​

• New! It is always transferable, the guest policy always applies, and prices do not vary (whether purchased individually or as a subscription)​

• Valid exclusively per calendar month

• The new student pass will be valid starting August 1, 2026 , throughout the entire Rhineland fare zone (= Rhineland network).

• The self-pay fare is divided into two categories (SK 1 and SK 2).

• The current student tickets will remain valid on the VRS network through July 31, 2026.

Information on the “Deutschlandticket Schule” offer is available here: Deutschlandticket Schule

• The existing contracts for the job tickets with AVV and VRS remain in effect until December 31, 2026.​

• Until then, they will remain valid—as before—either on the AVV network or on the VRS network (not on the entire Rhineland network!).​

• A new Jobticket solidarity model will take effect on January 1, 2027.

Information on the “Deutschlandticket Job” offer is available here: Deutschlandticket Job

• MobilPass tickets are available as single-ride tickets and monthly passes (purchased individually or as a subscription) in fare zones 1–3.
• In price tier 3, the tickets are valid throughout the VRS network (not throughout the entire Rhineland network!).
• MobilPass tickets can only be used with a valid MobilPass, Köln-Pass, or Bonn ID card and a photo ID.
  
• The MobilPass monthly pass (purchased individually or as a subscription) also offers the following benefits:
  • Transferable to individuals who have valid proof of eligibility (Köln-Pass, MobilPass, or Bonn ID).
    (Note: This transferability does not apply if the MobilPass monthly ticket was purchased via the app!)
  • Entitles the holder to bring one person over the age of 14 with valid proof of eligibility, as well as up to three children (ages 6–14), for free Monday through Friday starting at 7:00 p.m. and all day on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.

• The MobilPass monthly pass is available exclusively for full calendar months (valid from the 1st day of each month; no flexible start date is possible!)

Information about the “Deutschlandticket sozial” offer is available here: Deutschlandticket sozial

With the launch of the Rhineland Fare on June 1, 2026, the following VRS tickets will no longer be available:

• 4-Ride Ticket, 4-Ride Ticket MobilPass

• Weekly Ticket

• Formel9Ticket

• Aktiv60Ticket

• StarterTicket

• Apprentice Ticket

• Monthly Ticket For Apprentices

• Graduate Ticket

• VRS-Connection Ticket

• The bike ticket is now only available as a 24-hour ticket (24hBike Ticket).

The new Rhineland fare structure will generally take effect on June 1, 2026, thereby replacing the previous AVV fare structure and the previous VRS fare structure.

Student tickets will be adjusted as of August 1, 2026, and job tickets as of January 1, 2027.

For customers, the new fare structure is clearer, more intuitive, and valid from Oberberg to Aachen.

Occasional riders benefit from the simplicity of the system:
just three fare tiers plus a short-distance option, a straightforward selection of tickets, and clear validity periods

In addition, the fare system—with its three pillars consisting of the Deutschlandticket, eezy.nrw , and the Rhineland Fare, supports regular users in particular:

• With the Deutschlandticket, you can take as many trips as you want each month—even throughout all of Germany.

• With eezy.nrw , the distance traveled is billed transparently, and thanks to the price cap, it’s never more expensive than a single-ride ticket (or, with frequent use per calendar month, never more than the price of the Deutschlandticket, which is currently 63 euros/month).
  Alternatively, the 24-hour price cap of 27.80 euros applies.

The new Rhineland fare system includes fare classes 1, 2, and 3, as well as the short-distance fare—which is valid only until May 31, 2028.

The following applies:

• In the VRS, the short-distance fare remains unchanged: one stop plus four stops.

• In the AVV, the route-based short-distance fare (for the city of Aachen and Aachen Metropolitan Region Aachen), as do the short-distance zones (Düren and Heinsberg districts).

• Price tier 1 applies to trips within a city or municipality.
  Due to the significantly more extensive public transit network, fare level variant 1b applies to the cities of Aachen, Bonn, and Cologne, while fare level variant 1a applies to all other cities and municipalities in the AVV and VRS regions.

• Price Level 2 generallyapplies to trips beyond the starting municipality and its neighboring municipalities into an adjacent municipality (generally in accordance with the former Price Levels 2 and 3 of the old AVV and VRS fare structures).

• Fare Level 3 applies to the entire fare zone (former AVV and VRS areas, now: Rheinlandnetz).

Nothing has changed here.
Rheinlandtarif tickets can be purchased online, at ticket machines, at ticket offices, at customer service centers, or from the driver.

No. Tickets for the Rhineland Fare will go on sale starting May 18, 2026, at the transit companies’ customer service centers so that everyone has the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the new Rhineland Fare in advance.

Starting June 1, 2026, the Rhineland Fare will be available on buses, at ticket machines, and via mobile and online ticketing.

No. Sales of AVV- and VRS-rate tickets will end on May 31, 2026.

Starting June 1, 2026, the new Rhineland fare will replace the previous AVV and VRS fares in the AVV and VRS transport network areas.

For all customers who still have unused AVV or VRS fare tickets after the Rhineland Fare goes into effect, there is a simple and customer-friendly transition policy:

• Unvalidated AVV and VRS fare tickets can be exchanged with the issuing transit company (customer contract partner) for up to three years after the launch of the Rhineland Fare (through May 31, 2029) . Either the full amount paid will be refunded, or the ticket will be exchanged for a Rhineland Tariff ticket upon payment (or refund) of the difference. For multi-trip tickets, this applies on a pro-rata basis to unused trips.
• Furthermore, tickets under the AVV or VRS fare systems will be accepted as valid tickets until August 31, 2026, provided they are valid at the time of travel. It is important to note that for AVV- or VRS-tariff tickets, the fare tier system and validity rules of the respective AVV or VRS tariff continue to apply, and the fare tier system of the Rhineland tariff expressly does not apply.

The existing AVV and VRS transfer fares to adjacent neighboring areas have been integrated into the Rhineland fare system and will also apply under the new fare system.

However, it is also recommended to use eezy.nrw, which, with its state-wide fare cap system, represents the most attractive option for occasional riders.

The Deutschlandticket. For frequent travelers, it’s the most affordable and, above all, the easiest ticket to use.

Nothing. Users of the Deutschlandticket are not directly affected by the fare reform. The price, benefits, and terms of use of the Deutschlandticket remain unchanged. The Rheinlandtarif fare regulations will take effect on June 1, 2026.

No. If you have a Deutschlandticket, you don't need to do anything else.

If you have a different VRS or AVV pass, your transit provider will contact you and offer you a new pass. If your transit provider has not contacted you by the end of April / early May, please check with them again just to be sure.

Yes. This option will continue to be available in the form of a one-way supplemental ticket.

Prices for a 1st-class supplemental ticket:

• Price tier 1a (city/municipality): 2.00 euros
• Price tier 1b (Aachen, Bonn, Cologne): 2.00 euros
• Price tier 2 (surrounding cities/municipalities): 3.00 euros
• Price tier 3 (entire AVV/VRS network): 7.00 euros

With the Rhineland fare, only 1st-class supplemental tickets are offered as single tickets. However, it is possible to purchase a NRW Upgrade Monthly (Subscription) as an add-on to a Rhineland Tariff season ticket or the Deutschlandticket for a monthly subscription price of currently 84.60 euros.

Yes. The new bike ticket under the Rhineland fare system is called the “24hTicket Fahrrad” and is valid for one bicycle for a flat rate of 24 hours throughout the entire Rhineland network fare zone. It can be used for any number of trips during this period. It costs a flat rate of 4.50 euros.

Yes, the new Rhineland Student Pass will be launched on August 1, 2026.

This ticket is valid exclusively on the Rhineland network (formerly the AVV and VRS networks).

Yes. In addition to the “Deutschlandticket ," there will continue to be regional social ticket options.

The key point is that the respective social tickets will continue to be valid either within the VRS network area or within the AVV network area.