1. General information, purpose of the test phase, function and use of the chatbot
1.1 DB Fernverkehr AG, DB Tower, Europa-Allee 78 - 84, 60486 Frankfurt, Germany, will provide testers with a chatbot for questions and answers regarding real-time information, travel information and service requests, as part of a test phase on one or more of the following subpages of the website www.bahn.de:
1.2 These Terms of Use govern the use of the chatbot by the testers during the test phase. The purpose of this test phase is to test the technical feasibility and customer acceptance of the chatbot, to better understand the needs of customers and their usage behaviour, and to identify potential errors in the product, in order to improve the functionality of the chatbot on this basis.
1.3 The testers shall be given access to the chatbot, insofar as it is available, in order to test its functionality and provide feedback to improve the chatbot. Participation in the test phase is free of charge, voluntary and does not constitute any entitlement to remuneration. The chatbot automatically responds to written and spoken input from testers by providing answers and information (hereinafter referred to as "output"). It offers travel information, provides information about connections and answers questions regarding service requests. DB Fernverkehr AG can stop offering the chatbot at any time and end the test phase. The availability of the chatbot may also be impaired as a result of interruptions or failures, for example due to maintenance work or technical faults.
1.4 The chatbot is software based on generative AI (artificial intelligence). It draws on knowledge databases containing publicly accessible information. The system uses a probability-based approach to generate answers. This means that the system generates the results based on what is most likely to be true. Due to this probability-based approach, the possibility of errors cannot be excluded. Therefore, the generated output of the chatbot only serves as a guide. The output does not substitute the advice of travel centre employees, or the information provided on the website www.bahn.de or in official documents and displays. The testers are always responsible for any decisions they make based on the output generated by the chatbot and for checking the content against legally valid documents.
2. Permitted use
2.1 The chatbot may only be used for the following purposes during testing:
- Enquiries about travel connections
- Enquiries about FAQs
- Enquiries about tariff information and conditions of carriage
- Questions regarding customer service
- Use of additional functions that are made available within the chatbot
The chatbot cannot be used to directly purchase tickets or conclude, amend or cancel subscriptions or other contracts. It is also not possible to assert passenger rights or other rights of any kind via the chatbot.
2.2 Any other use that is not related to the aforementioned purposes in regard to the testing and the services offered by DB Fernverkehr AG or DB Vertrieb GmbH is prohibited. Use of the chatbot in an unlawful manner is also prohibited. In particular, no content may be entered or made accessible in any other way that is immoral or infringes the copyrights or other rights of third parties (in particular intellectual property).
2.3 Furthermore, testers shall refrain from all actions that are capable of or aimed at manipulating, altering, reconstructing or impairing the chatbot, or influencing its functionality (e.g. prompt injection attacks, DoS attacks, hacking attacks, reverse engineering, viruses, etc.). Similarly, the use of automated systems or automated software for extracting the chatbot's content is not permitted.
3. Intellectual property
3.1 All rights pertaining to copyright, databases, trademarks, registered designs and other rights which protect intellectual property are retained by DB Fernverkehr AG or its licensors. Testers may not reproduce, edit, distribute, publicly display or otherwise use the chatbot or the underlying software code in whole or in part, beyond the types of use and purposes permitted under these Terms of Use, without the prior written consent of DB Fernverkehr AG.
3.2 Testers may use the output exclusively for the purposes specified in Section 2 of these Terms of Use and in connection with the services offered by DB Fernverkehr AG. Any other use of the output, in particular for commercial purposes, is not permitted.
4. Links to other websites
The chatbot can link to third-party websites/services. DB Fernverkehr AG assumes no liability for the content of third-party websites/service/apps, nor does it endorse or adopt such websites/service/apps and their content as its own. The company shall delete links if it ascertains or is informed that the specific content to which it has linked could potentially result in civil or criminal liability.
5. Liability
5.1 Any liability of DB Fernverkehr AG, on whatever legal grounds, arising from or in connection with the testing of the chatbot by the testers is excluded, except in the cases set out in Section 5.2.
5.2 The exclusion of liability specified in Section 5.1 of these Terms of Use does not apply in the following cases:
- Damage caused by intent or gross negligence on the part of DB Fernverkehr AG, or one of its legal representatives or performing agents.
- Loss of life, physical injury or damage to health.
- Damage due to non-compliance with a guarantee or warranted feature given by DB Fernverkehr AG, or due to fraudulently concealed defects.
- Damage arising from the breach of material contractual obligations, i.e. obligations whose fulfilment is essential for the proper execution of the contract and on whose compliance customers may regularly rely (so-called essential terms). However, in the event of a simple negligent breach of an essential term by DB Fernverkehr AG or one of its legal representatives or performing agents, the liability of DB Fernverkehr AG and its performing agents shall be limited to the foreseeable damage typical for the contract.
- Mandatory statutory liability (e.g. under the German Product Liability Act (Produkthaftungsgesetz)).
6. Privacy
Please also note our privacy statements.
7. Applicable law and place of jurisdiction
These Terms of Use are subject exclusively to the law of the Federal Republic of Germany. If the tester is a consumer domiciled outside the Federal Republic of Germany, the law of the country in which they are domiciled may also apply in the case of legally mandatory provisions.
The exclusive place of jurisdiction for all disputes arising from or in connection with this agreement is Frankfurt am Main, provided that the contracting parties are merchants, the customer has no general place of jurisdiction in Germany or in another EU member state, their permanent place of domicile was moved abroad after these Terms of Use came into force, or their place of domicile or habitual abode is not known at the time the action is brought.
Last modified
January 2026