Public Transportation

The following websites and apps cover common tasks for travel in local and long-distance public transport, such as ticket purchases, timetable information, route planning, and schedules. Descriptions explain what each platform is typically used for.

Bahn.de (DB Bahn) - Purpose: Timetable information, ticket purchase, Bahn offers and prices, ticket pickup/download, Bahn information.
DB Navigator (App) - Purpose: Timetable information, buying/booking tickets, storing mobile tickets, real-time information, disruption notifications.
naldo.de - Purpose: Public transport network information for the local region, timetables, tickets, network maps, local fare info.
Google Maps (Transit) - Purpose: Multimodal route planning including public transport, live traffic info, stops and timetable data.
FlixBus / FlixTrain (FlixBus App) - Purpose: Long-distance bus and occasional train options, ticket purchasing, route planning for long-distance connections, mobile tickets.
FlixBus App - Purpose: Buy tickets, check timetables, store boarding passes digitally, real-time updates.

Travel In and Around Tübingen

Single tickets (Einzelfahrscheine) for travel can be purchased in Tübingen’s buses and in the NALDO app.

Day tickets (Tageskarten) are a good option if you are taking two or more journeys within Tübingen on a single day. They are valid until 5 AM on the following day. These can be purchased on buses, in the NALDO app, at train ticket machines in the NALDO network or at NALDO ticket centers. Day tickets can also be purchased for groups of up to 5 people.

4-Trip Tickets (4-er Karten) can be purchased in buses, at train ticket machines in the NALDO network and at NALDO ticket centers. These tickets allow four different single journeys at a slightly reduced rate. Each time a journey is taken, you must stamp your ticket in one of the validation machines located by the bus doors (usually they are red and have the word ‘Entwerter’ (Validator) written on them).

Deutschlandtickets are valid for unlimited 2nd class travel on busses, trams and local trains in all of

Germany. The monthly cost is 59,85 € / 54 € for Tübingen city residents. The Deutschlandticket can be purchased online or in person at NALDO ticket centers.

Month tickets (Monatskarten) are valid for a month’s travel in the area selected and can be purchased on buses, at train ticket machines in the NALDO network, at the counter in the train station or at NALDO ticket centers. Standard month tickets also generally allow you to take up to four people with you after 7 PM and all day at the weekends and on public holidays.

Family tickets (Familienkarten) can be purchased from the NALDO subscription center. All members of a family (parents and their school aged children) get their own ticket for a lower fee than individual tickets. The family ticket can only be purchased as a yearly subscription.

NB: Banknotes are not accepted in ticket machines on buses, but credit and debit cards are accepted. Stationary ticket machines at selected stops also take banknotes.

NALDO Ticket Centers in Tübingen: https://www.naldo.de/tickets/tickets-vor-ort-kaufen/#T

NALDO App: Play Store / App Store

Job Tickets/Deutschlandticket as a Job Ticket

All employees at the Max Planck Institutes are able to get a heavily discounted year ticket called Job Ticket. For more info on how to apply please see the following page on Confluence:

https://kybinfo.kyb.local/confluence/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=81723735

‘Mitnahmeregelung’

Generally anyone travelling on a normal month’s ticket or a transferable ‘Job Ticket’ (one that has a ‘Ü’ instead of a photo) can profit from the so-called ‘Mitnahmeregelung’. The ‘Mitnahmeregelung’, literally ‘Take Along Rule’, allows subscribers to take up to four people along with them while travelling at certain times (after 7 PM) and any time on holidays and at the weekend for the area covered by the ticket.

Semesterticket

If you are registered as a student at the university, you can alternatively apply for a ‘Semesterticket’. The ticket is valid for six months (covering either the summer semester (April-September) or winter semester (October-March) and allows for unlimited travel not only within Tübingen, but in the entire network served by NALDO. The semester ticket is less expensive than six standard month-tickets and covers a greater area.

Further information can be found on the website:

https://uni-tuebingen.de/en/study/student-life/semester-ticket/

Student ID

Additionally, if you are registered at a student at the University of Tübingen, your valid student identity card can, in combination with a certificate of enrollment (Immatrikulationsbescheinigung), serve as a valid ticket in public transportation within the NALDO-network after 7PM during the week and all day on public holidays and at the weekend.