Deutsche Bahn customers can now buy tickets for dogs as online tickets, not just on paper. A spokesperson for Deutsche Bahn confirmed a report to this effect in the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag. Although ICE tickets for larger dogs that do not fit into a transport box could be booked online, they were only made available a few days later by mail on paper, plus postage costs. Tickets for dogs have also been available in DB travel centers and at ticket machines.

According to Deutsche Bahn, small dogs in boxes continue to travel free of charge, while larger dogs are charged half the fare of a normal ticket.

The new online tickets are only available in the new Bahn app "Next DB Navigator" or on next.bahn.de, not in the old app "DB Navigator" and also not on bahn.de, the Bahn spokesman said. Around 100,000 dogs are transported by the railroad per year.

The railroad spokesman also pointed out that dog owners on the train are asked to be considerate of other passengers and train staff. "We recommend booking those trains that are shown as less busy in our online information media," he said.

The European Consumer Center Germany (ECC) advises train passengers with dogs to always have a muzzle and leash with them as well, because conductors may order their use. In addition, it is advisable to make a reservation in a compartment, not in a large-capacity car: "This is more relaxed for you and the dog," it says on the EVZ website.

Image by Helena Sushitskaya