Apply for reimbursement of fare losses for the free transportation of severely disabled people on public transport (local transport)

Severely disabled persons who, as a result of their disability, are significantly impaired in their mobility in road traffic or are helpless or deaf are transported free of charge on local public transport.

What is meant by local public transport in this context is defined in Section 147 (1) of the Ninth Book of the German Social Code (SGB IX); see "Legal basis".

As a transport company, you can apply for reimbursement of fare losses resulting from the free transportation of severely disabled persons according to a percentage of the proven fare revenue.

Reimbursement of fare losses is regularly made on a flat-rate basis according to a percentage set by the federal state. This is based on the ratio of severely disabled people entitled to free travel to the rest of the state's resident population.

Note: If a company can prove by means of a traffic count that the ratio of passengers transported free of charge to other passengers (company-specific percentage) exceeds the flat-rate percentage set by the federal state by at least one third, the proven proportion exceeding this third will be reimbursed on application in addition to the amount resulting from the flat-rate percentage.

To the regional council responsible for your company

Note : The reimbursement of fare losses for free local transport for companies that are predominantly owned by the federal government or a company in which the federal government has a majority shareholding (including transport associations) must be applied for from the Federal Office of Administration.

Application form with the required evidence

The latest application documents are available on the website of the Hessian regional councils.

The prerequisite for reimbursement is that the company has transported the persons entitled under Section 145 (1) SGB IX free of charge during the reimbursement period (one calendar year in each case). This may also apply to accompanying persons, animals and objects to be transported free of charge.

The application for reimbursement of fare losses on local public transport must be submitted in a single copy to the locally responsible regional council.

The application must be submitted by December 31 for the previous calendar year (cut-off deadline).