- Before school starts: Free ticket to practice your way to school
With a free ticket, children can practice their school commute by bus and train in parts of North Rhine-Westphalia with their parents. "At the start of the new school year, kids accompanied by a parent can familiarize themselves with the specifics of a journey by bus, tram, or regional train from home to school," says the Verkehrsverbund Westfalentarif, which offers the so-called "ElternKindTicket" for this purpose.
The ticket is valid for a single round trip between home and school for one child and one adult between August 5th and 30th. "The offer is not just for first-graders, but also for students transitioning from the fourth grade to a higher school," a Westfalentarif spokesperson told Deutsche Presse-Agentur. The ticket is part of a flyer sent to schools and distributed at parent-teacher meetings.
Free ticket for fourth-graders in Aachen
In Aachen, interested families of fourth-graders can get a free 24-hour bus ticket, the Aachener Verkehrsverbund (AVV) announced. The so-called "Entdecker-Freiticket" is intended to encourage families to explore the new route and means of transport together before the start of school and to practice safe behavior, as stated in a letter to fourth-graders at Aachener schools.
The letter includes a voucher for the ticket and flyers with information on safe behavior on the school route. Since 2019, the ticket for five people has been given annually to families whose children are transitioning to higher school. This year, the vouchers, which must be exchanged for a ticket at school secretariats or customer centers, are valid until August 24th.
No offers from VRR and VRS
The Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Sieg (VRS) and the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr (VRR) do not currently offer such a ticket, they said upon inquiry. A VRR spokesperson pointed out that children under six years old can travel for free. Some transport companies may issue "fake tickets" to allow children to practice using buses and trains, but these are not valid for regular travel and there is no uniform practice across the region.
The VRS provides schools with free teaching materials and brochures about using public transport, a company spokesperson said. Additionally, children under six years old and those under seven who are not yet in school can travel for free in the VRS tariff.
- The free 24-hour bus ticket in Aachen, known as the "Entdecker-Freiticket," is given to families of fourth-graders to help their children practice their school commute safely with the Aachener Verkehrsverbund.
- While children under six years old can travel for free in the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Sieg (VRS), the organization does not currently offer a ticket like the one in North Rhine-Westphalia for families whose children are transitioning to a higher school.
