Thank you for the numerous inquiries and your interest in the semester ticket. We would like to provide you with the latest update.
We have successfully negotiated a semester ticket contract for the Winter semester 2023/2024 in cooperation with the university administration. The contract includes the semester ticket price of 193.80 euros, which has been in effect since 2018. This amount consists of 210.30 euros for the semester ticket and a 16.50 euros per capita subsidy from the Senate Departments for Transport and for Science.
Additionally, we have signed a contract that allows you to upgrade your semester ticket to a Deutschlandticket (Germany-wide ticket) each month. With this agreement, you are no longer required to pay the full price when purchasing the Deutschlandticket, providing you with a flexible and affordable option for traveling within Germany.
Furthermore, we have achieved another success. Our AStA executive committee, in sole responsibility for the General Student Committee of our university, has managed to reduce the prices for using E-bikes from Nextbike GmbH to 15 euros for all Berlin students. This reduction is now available through a freely available semester subscription, which includes unlimited free rides of up to 30 minutes.
Looking ahead, the General Student Committee has decided to advocate for a freely available semester ticket priced at 19 euros per month, based on the tariff conditions of the Deutschlandticket. This ticket would also include the option to add bicycle transportation for an additional 1 euro per month.
Regarding the development of the Nextbike service, we are currently examining the legal basis for offering an E-bike semester ticket at Nextbike, with total costs amounting to 2.50 euros per semester.
Additionally, we would like to clarify the legal background and financial implications for our student body as a legally competent subsidiary by concluding a semester ticket contract.
Here’s a brief FAQ:
Why did we pay 75 euros less for the semester ticket in the Summer semester 2023?
The lower semester ticket price for the current Summer semester consists of 210.30 euros for the semester ticket, a 16.50 euros per capita subsidy from the Senate Departments for Transport and for Science, and a one-time subsidy of 75 euros per capita for the Summer semester 2023. This special subsidy is the result of a six-month negotiation led by our AStA executive committee.
Why are we being charged 200.80 euros for the semester ticket in the Winter semester 2023/2024?
The total cost of 200.80 euros for the semester ticket in the Winter semester 2023/2024 is based on the valid contribution regulations of the university’s student body. It comprises 193.80 euros for the semester ticket, 1 euro for the Social Fund of the student body (for subsidies for the semester ticket in cases of financial hardship), and 6 euros for administrative costs related to potential court expenses or fines associated with the semester ticket and the operation of the AStA Social Office (Semester Ticket Office, responsible for refund applications and Social Fund applications).
Why do you factor in court expenses and fines related to the semester ticket in your administrative costs?
We include court expenses and fines in our administrative costs because the conclusion of the semester ticket contract poses several legal risks for us as the student body. The introduction of the 49-Euro-Deutschlandticket, the 29-Euro-Berlinticket, and the 9-Euro- Sozialticket leads to various proportionate price adjustments, as prices for affordable mobility have been reduced for different social groups. This means that prices must also be lowered for students, or student bodies of universities must approve proportionate price adjustments according to § 18a para. 2 BerlHG. Otherwise, a semester ticket contract cannot come into effect. To obtain approval for the proportionate price adjustments according to § 18a para. 2 BerlHG, we would have had to conduct a referendum with strict legal deadlines and a participation of at least 10% of the HWR students. Moreover, we lacked the necessary data on the political guidelines of the Senate Department for Transport at the beginning of the negotiations. If we fail to obtain approval from the student body for the proportionate price adjustments according to § 18a para. 2 BerlHG, there is a high risk that the semester ticket could be invalidated by a court if a student from our university files a lawsuit. In that case, we would have to drastically increase the administrative costs for you within the semester fees to cover the financial costs of the lawsuit in the student body’s budget. Therefore, the Student Parliament has instructed us to terminate the semester ticket contract for the Winter semester 2023/2024 at the time of the reintroduction of the 29- Euro-Berlinticket. This spares us court expenses or fines and significantly reduces the risk of the HWR semester ticket being invalidated in the Winter semester 2023/2024 due to a lawsuit. For students using the 9-Euro-Sozialticket, we, as the AStA, will create the possibility of a subsidy equal to the difference between the total costs of the semester ticket (200.80 euros) and 9 euros (for the Sozialticket) per month or 54 euros per semester. We are unable to exempt students using the 9-Euro-Sozialticket from the semester ticket according to the current legal framework. For this purpose, the AStA executive committee has already submitted a proposal to the Student Parliament to amend the Social Fund Regulations (Regulations according to § 18a para. 5 BerlHG) of the student body of the university. If the Student Parliament approves the amendment and the university administration approves the regulations according to § 90 para. 1 BerlHG, students who use the 9-Euro-Sozialticket will be able to apply for a subsidy of 146.80 euros from the AStA Social Office (Semester Ticket Office).
We hope these answers are helpful to you!
If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us at hopo@asta-hwr.de.
We have successfully negotiated a semester ticket contract for the Winter semester 2023/2024 in cooperation with the university administration. The contract includes the semester ticket price of 193.80 euros, which has been in effect since 2018. This amount consists of 210.30 euros for the semester ticket and a 16.50 euros per capita subsidy from the Senate Departments for Transport and for Science.
Additionally, we have signed a contract that allows you to upgrade your semester ticket to a Deutschlandticket (Germany-wide ticket) each month. With this agreement, you are no longer required to pay the full price when purchasing the Deutschlandticket, providing you with a flexible and affordable option for traveling within Germany.
Furthermore, we have achieved another success. Our AStA executive committee, in sole responsibility for the General Student Committee of our university, has managed to reduce the prices for using E-bikes from Nextbike GmbH to 15 euros for all Berlin students. This reduction is now available through a freely available semester subscription, which includes unlimited free rides of up to 30 minutes.
Looking ahead, the General Student Committee has decided to advocate for a freely available semester ticket priced at 19 euros per month, based on the tariff conditions of the Deutschlandticket. This ticket would also include the option to add bicycle transportation for an additional 1 euro per month.
Regarding the development of the Nextbike service, we are currently examining the legal basis for offering an E-bike semester ticket at Nextbike, with total costs amounting to 2.50 euros per semester.
Additionally, we would like to clarify the legal background and financial implications for our student body as a legally competent subsidiary by concluding a semester ticket contract.
Here’s a brief FAQ:
Why did we pay 75 euros less for the semester ticket in the Summer semester 2023?
The lower semester ticket price for the current Summer semester consists of 210.30 euros for the semester ticket, a 16.50 euros per capita subsidy from the Senate Departments for Transport and for Science, and a one-time subsidy of 75 euros per capita for the Summer semester 2023. This special subsidy is the result of a six-month negotiation led by our AStA executive committee.
Why are we being charged 200.80 euros for the semester ticket in the Winter semester 2023/2024?
The total cost of 200.80 euros for the semester ticket in the Winter semester 2023/2024 is based on the valid contribution regulations of the university’s student body. It comprises 193.80 euros for the semester ticket, 1 euro for the Social Fund of the student body (for subsidies for the semester ticket in cases of financial hardship), and 6 euros for administrative costs related to potential court expenses or fines associated with the semester ticket and the operation of the AStA Social Office (Semester Ticket Office, responsible for refund applications and Social Fund applications).
Why do you factor in court expenses and fines related to the semester ticket in your administrative costs?
We include court expenses and fines in our administrative costs because the conclusion of the semester ticket contract poses several legal risks for us as the student body. The introduction of the 49-Euro-Deutschlandticket, the 29-Euro-Berlinticket, and the 9-Euro- Sozialticket leads to various proportionate price adjustments, as prices for affordable mobility have been reduced for different social groups. This means that prices must also be lowered for students, or student bodies of universities must approve proportionate price adjustments according to § 18a para. 2 BerlHG. Otherwise, a semester ticket contract cannot come into effect. To obtain approval for the proportionate price adjustments according to § 18a para. 2 BerlHG, we would have had to conduct a referendum with strict legal deadlines and a participation of at least 10% of the HWR students. Moreover, we lacked the necessary data on the political guidelines of the Senate Department for Transport at the beginning of the negotiations. If we fail to obtain approval from the student body for the proportionate price adjustments according to § 18a para. 2 BerlHG, there is a high risk that the semester ticket could be invalidated by a court if a student from our university files a lawsuit. In that case, we would have to drastically increase the administrative costs for you within the semester fees to cover the financial costs of the lawsuit in the student body’s budget. Therefore, the Student Parliament has instructed us to terminate the semester ticket contract for the Winter semester 2023/2024 at the time of the reintroduction of the 29- Euro-Berlinticket. This spares us court expenses or fines and significantly reduces the risk of the HWR semester ticket being invalidated in the Winter semester 2023/2024 due to a lawsuit. For students using the 9-Euro-Sozialticket, we, as the AStA, will create the possibility of a subsidy equal to the difference between the total costs of the semester ticket (200.80 euros) and 9 euros (for the Sozialticket) per month or 54 euros per semester. We are unable to exempt students using the 9-Euro-Sozialticket from the semester ticket according to the current legal framework. For this purpose, the AStA executive committee has already submitted a proposal to the Student Parliament to amend the Social Fund Regulations (Regulations according to § 18a para. 5 BerlHG) of the student body of the university. If the Student Parliament approves the amendment and the university administration approves the regulations according to § 90 para. 1 BerlHG, students who use the 9-Euro-Sozialticket will be able to apply for a subsidy of 146.80 euros from the AStA Social Office (Semester Ticket Office).
We hope these answers are helpful to you!
If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us at hopo@asta-hwr.de.