More people have been caught fare dodging on buses and trains in central Germany this year. In Dresden, checks were stepped up again in 2025 after the pandemic years - it turned out that around 5 percent of passengers were traveling without a valid ticket, according to the Dresden Transport Authority (DVB). For many years, the rate in the Saxon state capital was 2.5 to 3 percent.
According to DVB, this results in a loss of revenue of three million euros when extrapolated to the total number of passengers last year of around 184 million people. As the rate of fare dodgers was around twice as high as in previous years, according to DVB, the loss is also expected to be almost twice as high.
Last year, more people used buses and trains in Dresden than ever before since the fall of communism - and the number of fare dodgers has risen accordingly. The DVB sees a need for action, as the lack of ticket revenue would have to be offset by taxes.
