Mainz scraps student transport subsidy, doubling travel costs by 2026
Around 3,500 pupils in Mainz will face higher travel costs from the 2026/2027 school year. The city is scrapping its subsidy for the €365 annual CleverCard, nearly doubling monthly fees. Families received written notices about the change by December 2025. The CleverCard previously cost students €31 per month, but the price will rise to €59.95 without city support. Many affected pupils live too close to their schools to qualify for state transport funding. This left them with no alternative subsidies before the CleverCard existed.
The decision follows broader budget cuts by Mainz city council, which reduced funding for public transport. Officials confirmed the change would apply to all eligible students starting in late 2026. Families now face paying the full fare themselves or finding other travel arrangements.
The cancellation removes a key discount for students who had no prior access to transport subsidies. Without the CleverCard, families must cover the increased cost or adjust their daily routines. The change takes effect at the start of the 2026/2027 academic year.
Read also:
- American teenagers taking up farming roles previously filled by immigrants, a concept revisited from 1965's labor market shift.
- Weekly affairs in the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag)
- Landslide claims seven lives, injures six individuals while they work to restore a water channel in the northern region of Pakistan
- Escalating conflict in Sudan has prompted the United Nations to announce a critical gender crisis, highlighting the disproportionate impact of the ongoing violence on women and girls.
