For a month and a half now, Germans have been able to travel around the country on local transport at a low fixed price. And the response is tremendous. The federal government calculates that 31 million people, including subscribers, bought a nine-euro ticket in the first few weeks. Politicians in the traffic light government, who decided on the ticket in a cloak-and-dagger operation in the spring, are also surprised by the success of the offer. In the past few days, calls had been made to offer a successor solution from September. 19 to 69 euros per month or 365 euros per year – there have long been various models for a connection regulation.
In the federal government, too, resistance to a continuation of the nationwide ticket is apparently crumbling. Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) signaled readiness for a follow-up offer for the first time on Tuesday. The offer was a “huge success,” said Wissing of the German Press Agency. Passenger numbers have risen to pre-pandemic levels. And local public transport has received a digitization boost. Passenger numbers had fallen by about a fifth since 2020.
However, it is completely open when the Germans can expect a permanent nationwide local transport ticket – and at what price. Wissing is in no hurry. Its introduction is possible at the end of the year or beginning of 2023. At the beginning of November, data on the ticket should be available that should help with the assessment, said the FDP politician. “What are the experiences with it? What role does the price play? What role does the easy handling or the Germany-wide validity play?” It will be about such questions. There is a lot of speculation, but we don’t really know yet, said Wissing. “That’s why we need the results of the evaluation.”
In the transport industry and parts of politics, there is protest against what the associations perceive as delaying tactics. Customers should not fall into a hole after the offer expires at the end of August, says a traffic manager. Most of the data is already available. A quick decision is possible.
An evaluation only in November – is that necessary?
The main point of contention is the price at which a new ticket should be offered. The fact that it will not stay at the low nine-euro price is a cross-party decision. In times of tight budgets, the federal government rejects billions in monthly subsidies for local transport. The umbrella organization of the transport associations had proposed a 69-euro ticket, which is at least an attractive offer for commuters and could be introduced as an interim solution from September – financed by the existing climate fund. Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU), on the other hand, had demanded a 365-euro ticket based on the Austrian model. Local transport would then cost one euro a day in a year. So far, Wissing does not want to commit to any of the models. “We need a model that fits into the budgets of the federal states and also into the budget of the federal government.”
If there is an agreement between the federal and state governments, it could happen quickly. “We saw that we were able to put a proposal on the table and offer a digital ticket within a few weeks. In this respect, I’m optimistic that it can go quickly this time, too,” says Wissing. In the industry, however, there is skepticism. If you only start analyzing data in November, starting at the beginning of the year is also illusory, insiders said on Tuesday. The Federal Association of Consumer Centers would also like a faster solution. Instead of waiting for results and evaluation, a direct connection is possible from September, said Marion Jungbluth, the association’s mobility expert.
The fear of overcrowded trains turns out to be exaggerated
The data that is already available paints a mixed picture of the users. Among the 31 million buyers were many commuters, but also day trippers. The concern about many overcrowded trains during holiday periods did not come true. According to Wissing, less than 0.1 percent of the trains were so busy that security staff had to intervene.
The federal government is financing the nine-euro ticket with around 2.5 billion euros. Together with the tank discount, the federal government decided on the local transport offer in March in order to relieve the Germans in the face of rising energy and fuel costs.
The ProBahn passenger association sees the first month and a half of the ticket as proof that Germans have been won over by bus and train travel. The decisive factor is that using local transport is so easy and the costs are below those of a car-driven commuter, said a spokesman. This also applies as a recipe for success for follow-up offers. They don’t have to be free – but inexpensive.