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Passenger transportation; application for reimbursement of fare losses in local transport

If you, as a public transport company, transport severely disabled people and their accompanying persons, guide, assistance or assistance dogs or objects carried free of charge on local public transport, you can apply for reimbursement of fare losses.

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Online services

Responsible for you

Bundesverwaltungsamt - Referat VM II 4

Street address

Barbarastr. 1
50735 Köln

Postal address

50728 Köln

Website

www.bva.bund.de

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Procedure details

The Federal Office of Administration (BVA) reimburses transport companies in local and long-distance transport for fare losses incurred for the transportation of severely disabled persons and their accompanying persons.
You can receive a reimbursement for a completed calendar year. If you have received advance payments for the billed year, the corresponding amount will be taken into account.
The Federal Office of Administration (BVA) will reimburse you the costs of local transport for the transportation of

  • severely disabled persons,
  • their accompanying persons,
  • their guide, assistance or assistance dogs and
  • objects carried by them, for example hand luggage, medical wheelchairs or other orthopaedic aids.

The amount of the reimbursement depends on the respective percentage of your federal state or a reimbursement rate determined individually for you.

You can apply for reimbursement for lost fares:

  • Transport companies
  • transport associations and
  • local transport organizations

Further requirements:

  • Your company is majority or exclusively owned by the federal government.
  • You transport people with disabilities and their accompanying persons on the basis of a corresponding ID card with a valid token.
  • You must submit the application by December 31 of the third calendar year following the year of entitlement.

  • Required Documents

    You must submit the following with your application

    • Proof of the total fare income within the scope of the Ninth Social Code (SGB IX) in the form of a certificate from an auditing company
    • Proof of the actual and percentage share of the route traveled within the scope of the Ninth Social Code (SGB IX)
    • if the application concerns a bus company or the application includes revenue from a bus company: current concessions for the routes
    • if the application is based on an individual percentage rate: a certificate based on an approved traffic count

    If you are submitting an application to the Federal Office of Administration (BVA) for the first time, you must also submit

    • Shareholders' agreement of your company
    • Extract from the commercial register
    • Proof of local transport status from the approval authorities
    • Cooperation agreements between the contracting parties required for reimbursement
    • Permits from the respective state authorities for the provision of transport services

You must apply online or in writing to the Federal Office of Administration (BVA) for the final reimbursement of fare losses on local public transport:

Submit application online:

  • Go to the website of the federal portal and complete the application form for final payment online.
  • Attach the required documents as a scan.
  • Submit your application online.


Submit an application by post:

  • Download the application for final payment from the BVA website.
  • Complete the application. Print it out and sign it.
  • Send the signed application and the required documents to the BVA by post.
  • You can send the signed application to the BVA in advance by e-mail.


Your application will be processed and checked by the BVA. If you meet the requirements for reimbursement of lost travel expenses, you will receive the amount due to you.

There are no costs.

  • Application deadline: You must submit the application by December 31 of the third calendar year following the entitlement year.
  • Objection period: 1 month after notification
  • Time limit for lodging an appeal: 1 month after notification of the notice of appeal

Processing takes up to 3 months after the complete documents justifying the refund have been received.

Fare income is always calculated on a gross basis.

  • Objection
  • Action before the administrative court

Status: 11.02.2024
Editorially responsible for prodecure description: Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Soziales
Source: Federal Portal