Hello dear students,
As you have seen in our short info mail and in the press, there was a possibility that we would conclude a new contract with RMV (transport association) for the summer semester. This contains considerable disadvantages for us as students, which we pointed out to RMV several times as our first point of contact. The RMV did not make any adjustments. As a result, we cannot benefit from the introduction of the ticket for the summer semester due to the following disadvantages:
- We cannot let our old contract rest. Should politicians no longer agree on the financing of the Deutschlandticket in the future, this could ultimately mean that we would be left without a semester ticket. This would be a “historic moment” for students in Hesse.
- A considerable increase in the price of the ticket cannot be ruled out, as the contract always refers to 60% of the current price of the Deutschlandticket.
- The current upgrade to the semester ticket is only possible for the price of 49 euros. The RMV expressly rejected an upgrade for the student price of 29.40 euros. In addition, RMV is adapting the cancellation option for the upgrade to that of the Deutschlandticket. This means that cancellation is only possible until the 10th of the month. For example, if you book the upgrade after the 10th, you would be forced to pay the difference of 49 euros for two months.
- From the winter semester 24/25, RMV plans to discontinue the upgrade option completely. Students will then all receive either the Deutschlandticket or the Hessenticket.
- In previous contracts, there was a special regulation that the Hessenticket could be used one month before the start of the semester. This would no longer apply with the new model, meaning that students would now have to pay out of their own pocket for travelling to view flats and university activities. In addition, the semester ticket must be changed seamlessly at the start of the new semester.
In addition, the technical implementation of the RMV presents us with legal hurdles. With the new contract, RMV is demanding the extensive disclosure of personal data of all students, which in our opinion is not compatible with data protection. For this extensive data collection, a declaration of consent would have to be obtained for each enrolment.
Finally, the new contract would remove the most frequently used reason for refunds. We are not allowed to refund the Deutschlandticket on the basis of an existing Hessen state ticket. This would mean that students would have a double ticket.
All in all, we are very unhappy with all the options and think it is a great pity that RMV is not making any concessions. Anyone who would like further information or reasons for the RMV’s decisions or would like to criticise them is welcome to contact the RMV directly at the following e-mail address: semesterticket@rmv.de
Our next steps now are to continue talks with RMV and try to negotiate a satisfactory contract for the students. At the same time, we are currently gathering as much information as possible about the demand for the Deutschlandticket at JLU Giessen, in particular through the student survey and the upgrades to the Deutschlandticket that have been sold so far. In the end, the student parliament will have to make a decision on a new contract.
Best wishes
Allgemeiner Studierendenausschuss (AStA) of the University of Giessen
