Semester Ticket
At certain universities, you will receive a Semester Ticket upon payment of your semester fee. The concept of the Semester Ticket does not mean the same thing everywhere, as the accompanying benefits vary from university to university. At some universities, the ticket includes ÖPNV (local public transportation) privileges, that is a local traffic ticket; at all, discounted fares on regional trains operated by the Deutsche Bahn, that is a railway ticket. On the following webpages, you can find information for the study locations.
An up-to-date student ID from your university, along with a valid photo ID, serves as your public transportation ticket. The Semester Ticket is nontransferable and does not cover other people with whom you are traveling. Nonuse of your Semester Ticket does not entitle you to a refund. If you alter any of the information on your student ID, it will become invalid as a public transportation ticket! You will be treated as a passenger without a valid ticket. Impermissible alterations include laminating, cutting, erasing, gluing or writing on your ID, or sticking it into a plastic holder from which it cannot be removed. Certificates of enrollment are not recognized as public transportation tickets.
Please note: If you plan to use a "thoska" chip card as a valid form of student ID, please make sure that the notation of validity is clearly legible and has not expired. Otherwise, conductors on Deutsche Bahn trains have the right to confiscate your thoska card. Please be sure to renew the notation of validity on your card at the appropriate Thoska office in a timely manner, so that it is legible, undamaged and up-to-date.
The Semester Ticket is not valid for long-distance trains. On local and commuter trains within Thuringia, bicycles may be carried on at no additional cost, the capacity of the train permitting.