Saxony-Anhalt's 'Fifty-Fifty Taxi Ticket' Ends After 26 Years
The 'Fifty-Fifty Taxi Ticket' initiative in Saxony-Anhalt, which allowed young people to travel home cheaply from parties and events, is being discontinued by the end of 2025. The scheme, launched in 1999 to improve road safety, offered discounted taxi rides to those aged 16 to 26. However, declining demand has led to its permanent closure.
The initiative, which saw young people pay only 1.25 euros for a taxi ride worth 2.50 euros, was funded by the state, ADAC, and Ostdeutsche Sparkassenverband. Despite its aim to reduce accidents among young party-goers, the number of tickets sold has dropped significantly over the years. In 2015, 38,835 tickets were used, but by the end of July 2025, this number had fallen to just 4,237.
The change in mobility behavior among young people is cited as a reason for the initiative's decline. Carpooling, parental rides, or public transportation have become more popular alternatives. Similar discounted taxi initiatives exist in other regions, such as Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, but the model in Saxony-Anhalt will not be continued.
The 'Fifty-Fifty Taxi Ticket' initiative in Saxony-Anhalt is set to end by the close of 2025. Despite its initial success in promoting road safety, the decreasing demand and shifts in young people's travel preferences have led to its discontinuation. The participating partners agreed to discontinue the initiative at the beginning of 2025, marking the end of an era for cheap late-night taxi rides for young people in the region.
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.
