Would you trade your driving licence in for a free travel pass? The German state of Baden-Württemberg is hoping to tempt more senior citizens to use public transport - and therefore help to increase safety on the roads - with a new offer. 

Over-65s can surrender driving licence for free travel pass

In some regions of the southwestern federal state, senior citizens will soon be given the option to permanently trade in their driving licence, in exchange for a free annual ticket to use local public transport. The State Ministry of Transport has just signed an agreement with the relevant transport associations to make the idea a reality. 

From December 1, senior citizens can apply for a free annual ticket for local transport on one of the participating transport associations. To do this, they must voluntarily and permanently renounce their driving licence and return it to the authorities. The exchange is currently being offered by the following networks, among others: 

• bodo (Bodensee-Oberschwaben Verkehrsverbund GmbH)
• DING (Donau-Iller-Nahverkehrsverbund-GmbH)
• HNV (Heilbronner Hohenloher Haller Nahverkehr GmbH)
• htv (Heidenheimer Tariff Association)
• KVV (Karlsruher Verkehrsverbund GmbH)
• OstalbMobil (OstalbMobil GmbH)
• RVL (Regio Verkehrsverbund Lörrach GmbH)
• VHB (Transport Company Hegau-Bodensee Verbund GmbH)
• VVR (Verkehrsverbund Rottweil GmbH)
• VVS (Transport and Tariff Association Stuttgart GmbH)
• WTV (Waldshuter Tarifverbund GmbH)

A third of road accident fatalities are senior citizens

The offer is open to senior citizens above the age of 65, and those who have taken early retirement, State Transport Minister Winfried Hermann announced on Monday in Stuttgart. “You don’t need a driving licence to be mobile,” the minister said. 

He explained that the background to the initiative was the fact that a third of those killed in road accidents were senior citizens. 68 percent of all accidents involving seniors driving are primarily caused by them. In view of demographic change, a growing number of road users above the age of 65 can be expected in the coming years, the ministry said. 

The Verkehrsbund Stuttgart has been making a similar offer for some time. So far, around 5.300 senior citizens have already taken up the offer, with an average age of 80 years.