The RMV-AStA semester ticket

What is the semester ticket?

The semester ticket is printed on the Studienausweis and is automatically paid with the Semesterbeiträge when you enroll or re-register. With this card you can use all regional trains, suburban trains, subway trains, streetcars and buses in the entire area of the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (RMV). The RMV area covers the whole of southern and central Hesse and is very large compared to other transport associations.

The costs are included in the semester fee and are automatically paid along with the semester fee when you enroll/re-register.

Why does the semester ticket exist?

“In an effort to take care of the social and economic concerns of the students and to ensure the mobility of the students with environmentally friendly means of transportation, RMV and AStA conclude the following agreement: […]”.

reads the preamble of the agreement between AStA and RMV. The AStA, through the election of students and its status as a public corporation, has the ability to enter into a contract of this nature that provides significant financial benefits to students. It does not matter if some do not benefit from the deal if it can only be so cheap because all students buy the ticket. Since students use the ticket to varying degrees, they all pay the average price, so to speak. Even for those who use the ticket only rarely, there is a price advantage compared to the purchase of one-way tickets, even if the use is low. In addition, the ticket is subsidized by compensation payments for trainee transport, which makes the amount to be paid even lower.

Scope of the semester ticket

The semester ticket is valid for one whole semester. Any number of journeys within the printed validity period are permitted. Since the summer semester of 2012, the ticket has also been valid with one month’s notice before the start of the semester. This means that students can travel with the ticket for a total of seven months.

The semester ticket is valid on regional trains, suburban trains, subways, streetcars and buses in the entire area of the RMV, as well as in the transition areas to the VRN and the NVV. You can use it not only in Darmstadt, but criss-cross almost all of Hesse as often as you like.

The following map shows the area of validity with the most important stations. All border stations are also shown. At these stations the validity ends and you have to buy connecting tickets.

Since August 1, 2015, the NVV transition tariff areas 8510 (Lichtenfels) and 8530 (Korbach) are also included in the Semesterticket.

If I want to travel beyond the limits of the semester ticket?

As a rule, it is possible to buy connecting tickets without further ado. If you want to travel beyond the borders of the Semesterticket’s area of validity, you will need another ticket that entitles you to travel from the last station in the area of validity (border station). This also applies if you travel with a regional express train through this station and the train does not stop there at all. You can buy tickets at ticket machines or in the sales offices of the Deutsche Bahn AG. You have to distinguish between tickets of the DB and the local transport association. The latter are often cheaper, but can only be purchased in the tariff area itself.

For those who often commute to Darmstadt from a region outside the RMV area, many transport associations also offer season tickets or connection semester tickets.

To travel beyond the RMV area, connecting tickets can be purchased from the border of the RMV area. The following list shows the stations from which a connecting ticket for local transport must be purchased:

Connection tickets to the Rhine-Neckar Transport Network (VRN)

The VRN offers all students of the TU Darmstadt a Anschluss-Semester-Ticket. Thus, those who regularly travel to Mannheim, Ludwigshafen or Heidelberg can buy a ticket for 220,60€ (as of 08.08.2022), with which they are also mobile in the entire VRN (without West Palatinate) for one semester.

If you only travel occasionally, for example to Heidelberg, you can also use a ticket for onward travel according to the DB tariff. This is cheaper than the ticket in the Rhine-Neckar Transport Association. However, it is not valid on the streetcars and buses in Heidelberg and cannot be purchased if you are in the VRN area. So you have to buy the connecting ticket for both directions at the station in Darmstadt. Select the Ticket for onward journey DB at the ticket machine under Overall offer. The starting station for the outward journey is Weinheim-Lützelsachsen. For the return trip you buy directly the second ticket with destination Weinheim-Lützelsachsen. If this is too complicated for you or you are unsure of your choice, you can also queue at the ticket counter in the travel center (allow for waiting time).

Connection tickets to the Rhein-Nahe Nahverkehrsbund (RNN)

South and west of Mainz, the area of the RNN connects to the RMV. If you also want to travel to Bingen, Bad Kreuznach or Alzey, for example, you can purchase a Anschluss-Semester-Ticket for the RNN area. The RNN-Anschluss-SemesterTicket currently costs €199.90 per semester (as of 08.08.2022).

Connection tickets to the area of the North Hessian Transport Association (NVV).

The semester ticket is also valid in the transition area to the NVV, but not in the entire NVV. For example, you can travel with your semester ticket as far as Bebra, but not as far as Kassel. Unfortunately, there is no connection semester ticket for the NVV. However, if you want to regularly travel beyond the boundaries of the semester ticket’s area of validity, you can buy educational season tickets as connection tickets in the NVV. For occasional or spontaneous trips, a connection ticket can be purchased on the cell phone. In the trains of cantus-Verkehrsgesellschaft there is also a vending machine in the train.

Connecting tickets to the area of the Bavarian Lower Main Transport Association (VAB)

All students who regularly travel to the VAB area can buy VAB season tickets at the trainee rate as a connecting ticket. Particularly interesting is the TicketEasy, a network ticket in subscription for the entire VAB, which costs 69.70€ per month (as of 08.0.2022). Of course, this connection ticket can be used not only the trains of regional transport, but also the buses.

For those who want to travel only occasionally in the direction of Aschaffenburg, there is also a possibility to buy connecting tickets without having to get off in Babenhausen. Connecting tickets to the VAB area can be purchased from the train attendant. To do this, you must actively report to the train attendant before the last stop in the validity area of the semester ticket (border station Babenhausen or Großkrotzenburg) and inform them that you need a connecting ticket. You will then receive a ticket at the RMV tariff from the border station to your destination in the VAB.

For example, if you travel from Darmstadt via Babenhausen to Aschaffenburg, it would be price level 3 from Babenhausen, so the one-way ticket for adults costs 3.20€ (as of 01.01.2021). In this case, no service surcharge may be demanded by the train attendant. In the opposite direction, you must also buy a normal one-way ticket to Babenhausen at the ticket machine. On the trains of the Kahlgrundbahn (train line 56) it is even easier, because there are ticket vending machines in the vehicle, which then allow the purchase of the ticket from the station Großkrotzenburg to the final destination. A sale of one-way tickets from Babenhausen or Großkrotzenburg to destinations in the VAB at advance booking offices of RMV or DB AG is unfortunately not possible.

Connecting tickets to the area of the Westphalia South Transport Community (VGWS).

For journeys in the direction of Siegen, connecting tickets can be purchased from the VGWS train attendants from the border station Dillbrecht. As with other connections across the tariff borders, it is important to contact the train attendants in good time, ideally directly on the platform.

Frequently asked questions

How does it work with the AirLiner?

You can use the bus to Frankfurt Airport, but you need a surcharge ticket, which you buy when boarding. It’s still worth it, though, because you can get directly to Terminals 1 and 2 without changing buses and with WLAN. Real fare professionals who, for example, are leaving for a semester abroad and have applied for a refund of their semester ticket, then send their semester ticket by mail to the AStA.

Can I also travel on the Intercity with the semester ticket?

No, the semester ticket is not valid for long-distance trains (IC, EC, ICE). You may only use local trains, suburban and subway trains, streetcars and buses in the RMV area.

As mentioned at the beginning, the semester ticket is only so cheap because all students are obliged to buy it. Some, however, cannot use the ticket at all and so the RMV refunds the money in the following cases:

• Proven stay outside the RMV area due to study abroad or internship of more than three months.

• Semester off or postgraduate studies.

• Severe disability with free travel on public transportation.

• Double enrollment (the cheaper ticket will be reimbursed).

In order to make use of these regulations, a request for reimbursement must be submitted no later than 14 days after the start of the semester (Attention: Not start of lectures!). If the reasons given can be substantiated, the semester ticket will be cancelled and the money will be refunded. The application for reimbursement can be made online at https://semesterticket.asta.tu-darmstadt.de. Here you can also find out exactly what evidence is required for the application and what conditions must be met.

What if I have forgotten my semester ticket and am checked?

Then the RMV will charge you an increased transportation fee. You will receive a receipt with which you will be asked to pay. With this receipt, your semester ticket and a photo ID, you can go to an RMV mobility center to reduce the amount to a processing fee of. You can contact the AStA at if you have any problems.

Help, my ticket has been confiscated!

Unfortunately it happens that ticket inspectors do not accept a semester ticket in connection with an official photo ID as a valid ticket. Should it happen that your semester ticket is confiscated, please inform us about the situation via e-mail at . Please attach a photo or scan of the certificate of the increased transportation fee that you will receive from the control staff. We will then clarify the further procedure and support you in getting the cost of reissue in Karo5 refunded.

Source: https://asta-tud.de/semesterticket (as of 08/08/2022)