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eTicket

Chipkarte eTicket RheinMain - die RMV-Mobilitätskarte

© RMV

The eTicket is the electronic ticket stored on the RMV smart card. Season tickets are stored electronically on the smartcard. You can therefore use the smartcard time and again to purchase further tickets.

The validity of an eTicket always depends on the terms and conditions of the season ticket stored on the card. It is therefore not possible to make a general statement regarding its geographical validity. You can find information on the areas of validity on the ‘Tickets at a glance’ page.

The following tickets are issued via eTicket on the smartcard:

Exception:Season tickets in transitional fare zones will continue to be issued in paper form.

If you place a new order, you will receive a new smartcard by post in good time before your eTicket becomes valid.

Please note:

  •    You can collect smartcards from an RMV sales office, or – for new orders – from the RMV TicketShop or via your contract partner. Smartcards cannot be issued at ticket machines.
  •     If you lose your smartcard or it can no longer be read, you will receive a replacement smartcard for a fee of €10.00. If your smartcard is proven to be faulty, the replacement smart card will be free of charge.
  •     If you have registered your smartcard in your meinRMV account, you can block it directly there. We will then send your replacement smart card to you by post. It will contain your previous ticket and replace the lost smartcard.
  •     If you need your replacement smartcard more quickly, you can also collect it from an RMV sales office.

RMV ticket machine

You can buy weekly and monthly travelcards for adults yourself at the ticket machine. To do so, place your smartcard on the area marked with the (((e-logo and complete the purchase as usual.

RMV TicketShop

You can conveniently order the following tickets online from the RMV TicketShop:

  • Deutschland-Ticket; also available with Hessenpass mobil
  • Schülerticket Hessen
  • Hessen Senior Citizen Ticket
  • Weekly pass for adults and weekly pass for school pupils and apprentices
  • Monthly pass for adults and monthly pass for school pupils and apprentices
  • Annual pass and annual pass by subscription
  • Supplementary ticket for 1st-class travel as a weekly, monthly or annual pass

The processing time for your order is 2 days if ordering for an existing, registered smart card, or 5 working days for postal delivery if ordering a new smart card. To ensure a subscription is valid from the 1st of the month, your order must be received by the 20th of the previous month.

You can check the status of your order in your meinRMV account under ‘Ticket Services/TicketShop Services/Orders placed in the TicketShop’. If you are ordering onto an already registered smartcard, you will also see there when your ticket is ready to be updated. You can transfer weekly and monthly passes to your smartcard from two days after placing your order, and no later than the first day of validity. 

RMV sales offices

You can purchase all weekly, monthly and annual tickets as eTickets on a smartcard at RMV sales offices. You can either collect the smartcard on the spot or bring your existing smartcard with you so that the eTicket can be loaded directly onto it. In some cases, the smart card will be sent to you by post at a later date.

 

 

 

You can top up your smartcard using your smartphone via the RMVgo app, at RMV ticket machines, or at an RMV sales office. You may need to top up your card if, for example, you have ordered a season ticket from the RMV TicketShop or at a sales office.

From the date notified to you by your contract partner, you can update your smart card using your smartphone.

1. To do this, open the ‘My Tickets’ section in the RMVgo app and select ‘My eTicket’. Start the reading process by tapping the ‘Read eTicket’ button. To do this, hold the smart card directly against the back of your smartphone. Move the smart card slowly until it is recognised.

2. Once the reading process is complete, the ticket update process begins when you tap ‘Synchronise smart card’. To do this, hold the smart card directly against the back of your smartphone. Move the smart card slowly until it is recognised. Any available updates will then be transferred to the smart card.

Please note: Your ticket is stored only on your smart card. The display in the RMVgo app is not a valid ticket and is for information purposes only.

All RMV ticket machines are fitted with an eTicket read/write unit. To transfer the ticket (eTicket) that has been stored electronically for collection onto your chip card, place the chip card on the area marked with the (((e-logo. The ticket will then be stored on the chip within a few seconds.

RMV ticket machine with explanations in English

© RMV

The graphic shows an RMV ticket machine with explanations.

It is mint-coloured with a blue vertical strip in the middle, the RMV logo is displayed in the upper part.  Above this is a light mount containing a display with dynamic customer information (subject to location). Below the RMV logo, "Fahrkarten" is written in large font.

On the left at centre height is the touch display, at the bottom of the screen there is the foreign language selection bar (D, GB, F, I, E, TR). The dispenser tray (paper tickets, coins and receipts) is located below the screen.

In the central, vertical blue strip, at the very top, level with the edge of the screen, is the coin slot for cent coins in denominations of 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents as well as for one and two euro coins. Below this is the contact surface (reader) for the eTicket.

On the right-hand side, level with the writing "Fahrkarten", there is a field which contains a contact person and a telephone number in the case of a technical malfunction.  Below this is the terminal for cashless payment transactions with girocard, VisaCard or MasterCard.
It contains a keypad at the top, a contact surface for contactless card payments underneath and a card reader at the bottom into which cards can be inserted.

There are two slots located below the payment terminal. The upper slot is used for cash payments and accepts banknotes in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 euros; the lower slot is the banknote dispenser. 

Once you have placed your order, your contract partner will let you know when you can update your smart card.

You can have your smart card updated with the change you have requested or with the new ticket at any RMV sales point.

You can have your smartcard scanned using your smartphone via the RMVgo app, at RMV ticket machines, or at an RMV sales office.

The following data is stored on the smartcard:

  • The eTicket, including its geographical and time-based validity
  • For personalised tickets: the name in an anonymised form, as well as the date of birth and gender

You can scan your smartcard using your smartphone. To do this, open the ‘My Tickets’ section in the RMVgo app and select ‘My eTicket’. Activate the ‘Scan eTicket’ function and hold the smartcard directly against the back of your smartphone. Move the smartcard slowly until it is recognised. Any available eTickets on the smart card will then be displayed.

Please note: Your ticket is stored only on your smartcard. The display in the RMVgo app is not a valid ticket and is for information purposes only.

All RMV ticket machines are fitted with an eTicket read/write unit. To use it, hold your smartcard against the area marked with the (((e-logo. After a few moments, the details will appear on the screen.

RMV ticket machine with explanations in English

© RMV

The graphic shows an RMV ticket machine with explanations.

It is mint-coloured with a blue vertical strip in the middle, the RMV logo is displayed in the upper part.  Above this is a light mount containing a display with dynamic customer information (subject to location). Below the RMV logo, "Fahrkarten" is written in large font.

On the left at centre height is the touch display, at the bottom of the screen there is the foreign language selection bar (D, GB, F, I, E, TR). The dispenser tray (paper tickets, coins and receipts) is located below the screen.

In the central, vertical blue strip, at the very top, level with the edge of the screen, is the coin slot for cent coins in denominations of 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents as well as for one and two euro coins. Below this is the contact surface (reader) for the eTicket.

On the right-hand side, level with the writing "Fahrkarten", there is a field which contains a contact person and a telephone number in the case of a technical malfunction.  Below this is the terminal for cashless payment transactions with girocard, VisaCard or MasterCard.
It contains a keypad at the top, a contact surface for contactless card payments underneath and a card reader at the bottom into which cards can be inserted.

There are two slots located below the payment terminal. The upper slot is used for cash payments and accepts banknotes in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 euros; the lower slot is the banknote dispenser. 

You can have the data read out at RMV sales offices.

    Registration makes replacement easier, in the event you ever lose your eTicket. For example, a purchase receipt is not required when ordering a replacement. However, registration is not required to use the ticket!

    You can register the eTicket right at the sales office or online. When purchasing products such as annual tickets (without a subscription) or monthly tickets, the choice is yours: The employees will gladly register your smartcard to your name in the system, so it can be replaced quickly without a purchase receipt should you ever lose it. When purchasing individual annual subscriptions and CleverCards, the eTicket is automatically registered to your name in the system.

    Visit "meinRMV" to register your mobility ticket. To do so, first follow the simple registration steps at "meinRMV". You will receive the registration data (smartcard number and password) from the contracting partner together with your smartcard. In your "meinRMV" account, go to "Managing My Chip Cards" to access the following:

    • General information concerning the technical validity of your smartcard
    • Information about the smartcard user can be edited online
    • Order a replacement smartcard (including blocking) if your card is lost or broken
    • View all (active) tickets stored on your smartcard
    • active subscribed annual season tickets: edit the contractual data for those tickets (e.g. changing the adress or credit card details), and download the invoices for all subscribed tickets valid in the last 13 months
    • View the last ten expired (no longer valid) tickets stored on your smartcard
    • Cancel the registration of your smartcard

    Please note: The online manager at meinRMV cannot be used for VGF (Frankfurt), ESWE (Wiesbaden) and HEAG mobilo (Darmstadt) smartcards at this time.

    eTicket: Frequently asked questions

    Search results for "":

    • You can use your smartcard time and time again to buy new eTickets. So please keep your smartcard, even if you don’t need a ticket at the moment.
      The smartard must be replaced after 5 years.

    • ‘eTicket’ and ‘eTicket Hessen’ mean the same thing: an electronic ticket stored on a smartcard. The appearance of the smartcard does not indicate which ticket is stored on it.

      Here’s how to check the details on your smartcard:

      • via RMVgo    
      • at a ticket machine 
      • at an RMV sales office

      These tickets, valid throughout Hesse, are also available on smartcards:

    • Go to a ticket machine or a sales point displaying the eTicket logo. Take your smartcard with you – the eTicket will be stored on it.

      If you’d like to buy the ticket online, you can use the RMV TicketShop. There, you can purchase the ticket you require for your existing smartcard. 

      • On many buses, you can hold your chip card up to a special reader as you board. If your ticket is valid, the device will display ‘OK’, a green light or a green tick – often accompanied by a beep.
      • On trams, ticket inspectors check your eTicket using a handheld device.
      • There may also be additional checks on buses – particularly on those without a built-in reader.

    • 1. Ticket details
      The type of ticket, the fare zones it covers and how long the ticket remains valid are stored. Up to eight tickets (current and expired) can be stored on the chip; after that, the expired entries are overwritten.

      2. Personal data
      Personal data is used solely to ensure the smooth operation of the eTicket process.
      For personalised tickets (such as a personalised annual pass or the Hessenian student ticket), the holder’s name is stored in a masked form, along with their date of birth and gender. This means that only the first letter of the first name and surname is stored in plain text.
      No personal data is stored for transferable tickets.

      3. Transaction data
      The last ten transactions (validation checks and ticket purchases) are also stored on the smartcard for customer information purposes.
      The processing of personal data is carried out in accordance with the Hessian Data Protection Act (HDSG) and the Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG). No personal movement profiles are created!

    • Either in person or in writing by post to the contract partner. The ticket will be deactivated on the desired contract end date or upon receipt of the notice of cancellation (postmark = last day of use). You do not need to return the smartcard – you can load new tickets onto it later.

      If you ordered your season ticket online via the TicketShop on rmv.de, you can also cancel it conveniently online via your meinRMV user account: Log in to meinRMV, then go to ‘TicketShop Services’, select ‘Orders placed in the TicketShop’, click on the magnifying glass icon next to the season ticket you wish to cancel, and click on ‘Start cancellation process’.

      It is also possible to cancel a season ticket purchased via the RMV TicketShop from Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund Servicegesellschaft mbH without logging into meinRMV. Under ‘Season Ticket Cancellation’, you can submit a notice of cancellation by completing and submitting the form provided.

      Further information can be found in the fare regulations under section 3.2.3 and in the Special Conditions for the relevant ticket.

    • You can view the eTickets stored on your smartcard at the following locations:

      Via RMVgo: You can read your smart card using your smartphone via the RMVgo app. To do this, open the ‘My Tickets’ section in RMVgo and select ‘My eTicket’. Activate the ‘Scan eTicket’ function and hold the smart card directly against the back of your smartphone. Move the smart card slowly until it is recognised. Any available eTickets on the smart card will then be displayed.

      At an RMV ticket machine: Hold your smartcard against the area marked with the (((e-logo. The stored data will be displayed on the screen.

      At any eTicket sales point: Have your smartcard scanned at an RMV sales point.

      Online via meinRMV: Log in using your smartcard’s registration details. These can be found on the receipt you received with your smartcard. 
      Under ‘Manage my smartcards’, you can view your stored tickets (e.g. season tickets or travel passes).

    • If smartcard is lost or can no longer be read, you will be issued with a new card.

      •     If lost or unreadable: A newsmart card costs 10 euros.
      •     If the card is faulty or has expired: A replacement is free of charge.

      How to get a replacement card:

      •     If your smartcard is registered with ‘meinRMV’: You can block the card online. The new card will be sent to you by post. Alternatively, you can collect the card directly from an RMV sales office. You will receive new login details for ‘meinRMV’.
      •     If your smartcard is not registered: Take the receipt from when you first purchased the card to a sales office. Your card will be blocked. All stored tickets will be replaced – including transferable tickets.
      •     If your smartcard is more than 5 years old: The card must be replaced after 5 years.

      Special note: If you purchased your card from VGF (Frankfurt), ESWE (Wiesbaden) or HEAG mobilo (Darmstadt), please contact your service provider directly.

      Lost something else? Call: 069 / 24 24 80 24 (24-hour service).

    No matching questions found

      Data privacy for the eTicket

      The RMV has decided upon the Standard (((eTicket Deutschland for the conversion of the season ticket to the eTicket. The benefits are obvious: This nation-wide standard enables the use of smart cards for the first time in various networks. It is considered especially safe from misuse, manipulations or forgeries and it satisfies the high German data protection requirements. This standard has been developed in close cooperation with the Conference of the data protection commissioners of the federal government and the states and has been coordinated with the Commissioner for Data Protection of Hesse. The special focus in this was on data protection, data economy and consumer protection. Movement profiles should not and are not created with the eTicket. First and foremost, the passengers should have the highest possible data transparency and should be able to understand what happens with their data. For this, every holder of an eTicket can see his/her data stored in the RMV mobility centres – and can even have transaction data deleted.

      There are three separate areas on the memory chip: Just like on a paper ticket, specific information is saved, which identifies the holder of the eTicket (personal data) and which season ticket has been acquired (ticket data). As a service function in the sense of consumer protection, the last ten transactions with the smart card are saved in a kind of log book (usage data). These are recorded as digital client voucher for complaints, for example, in order to submit proof when passengers have complaints. These control entries are comparable with machine printouts and endorser stamps in case of paper tickets. At the same time, they help in personal checking of individual eTickets, so that a stranger cannot use it. The following applies in principle: The eTicket is as good as money and should therefore be kept safe and protected like an EC or credit card.

      In case of individual tickets, name, gender and date of birth of the passenger are saved on the smart card, so that the ticket holder can be identified during a check. Here, the name is not saved in clear text; rather, it is 'masked' with letters, numbers and special characters, that is, it is encrypted. Thus, the name can be matched, for example, with the help of the ID card, but cannot be read (Example: Max Mustermann, date of birth 01.03.2001, male, M1x@M8n 03/2001 M). Other data like a passport photo has been deliberately waived for the purpose of data economy. Therefore, the following is applicable for season ticket holders: Always carry the personal ID or another photo ID along with the eTicket. As regards passengers, who buy only transferable season ticket products, no personal data is saved on the smart cards.

      Naturally, the season ticket that is acquired is also saved, that is the ticket type, for which tariff zones and for how long it is valid. During each ticket check, it is not just checked whether the travel permission is valid, but also whether the transferred data record is free of manipulations.

      Furthermore, the smart card saves specific usage data in a log book: Always, when the eTicket is held at a checking device (so-called transactions) – for example in the bus or during a ticket check. Thereby, all journeys are not necessarily completely recorded, if for example in city train and metro journeys the eTicket did not come in contact with a checking device. Only the ten most recent transactions are saved. For the purpose of data economy, the old entries are overwritten one after the other from the eleventh entry. This usage data includes time, place and type of the transaction, the terminal number, the ticket/product number, the line and trip number. The checking device sends the data record to the eTicket background system of the RMV and there it is checked whether there also exists a sales data record for the checked eTicket. That helps in verifying misuse like manipulations, duplicates or double registrations with one smart card. This checking data is only saved on the eTicket of the passenger. On the RMV servers, this data record is again immediately deleted after the checking analysis.

      The above-mentioned personal data and the ticket data is required to verify the travel permission of the eTicket user, whether the ticket is actually valid for this journey. At the same time, it is also checked whether the smart card is free of manipulations. The log book entries help the passengers in carrying out individual checks. Afterwards, the passenger himself can always check how his eTicket was used. Thus, the highest possible data transparency exists in the sense of consumer protection. If the customer desires, the log book entries at an outlet can be deleted.

      The ten log book entries are only saved on the smart card. The network-wide background system, to which for example the control transaction data record is sent, saves the last data record only for checking analysis. It is automatically deleted afterwards. There is no central server, which saves the entries generated by the passengers for longer time. Employees of the RMV or the transport company have the facility to see the last ten transactions only in the RMV mobility centres, when the passenger provides his smart card. No worry about movement profiles: On one hand, the creation is legally prohibited. On the other hand: The few, select log book entries (for example in the bus or during a ticket check and of those, maximum ten), are not sufficient to create a movement profile. A chance reading of a strange ticket is also not possible. The data is exchanged via NFC (Near Field Communication). For this purpose, the transmitter and receiver must be kept a few centimetres close on top of each other. If the eTicket is in a wallet and this in turn is in a jacket or a trouser pocket, then even the wilful reading of a strange ticket in passing is more than improbable. Basically, the eTicket must be protected just like a bank or credit card from unauthorised access by an unauthorised person.