According to the Association of Transport Companies, the Deutschlandticket has attracted thousands of new people to use local public transport. The association is now demanding a timely agreement on follow-up financing.
According to a recent survey, the Deutschlandticket has lured thousands of people into local public transport who had not used it before. Eight percent of ticket buyers stated in the nationwide market research of the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV) that they had not previously used public transport. As the VDV announced, 42 percent already had a public transport subscription. 47 percent used the bus and train, but without a subscription.
struggling for further funding
The association assumes that in the coming months some users of other public transport subscriptions will switch to the monthly ticket, which is valid nationwide and costs 49 euros. “But an agreement between the federal and state governments on the follow-up financing of the ticket in the coming years would be urgently required,” said association president Ingo Wortmann.
The federal and state governments are already struggling over further funding. Federal Minister of Transport Volker Wissing, for example, attracted a great deal of criticism with the suggestion that the federal states should save on the transport associations and on sales costs so that the public transport offer could also be improved. “The next step must be further reforms, also to achieve more cost efficiency.” For this renewed call for savings, Wissing received a lot of criticism on Thursday, especially from the Union. Wissing does not want to provide more money from the federal government for the Germany ticket.
Ticket more popular in cities than in the countryside
However, market research also clearly shows that the ticket is more popular in cities than in the country – i.e. where the public transport offer is usually more extensive. In metropolitan and large cities, 20 to 30 percent of those surveyed have a Germany ticket, in small towns and rural areas, on the other hand, only six percent.
“This shows once again that a cheap public transport ticket alone is not enough to persuade people to buy and thus switch to bus and train. This can only be achieved if the local offer is attractive enough,” said Wortmann. “Therefore, after the Germany ticket, the Germany offer for public transport must follow promptly.”
Around ten million use Germany ticket
A total of around 10 million passengers used the Deutschlandticket in July and August. In May, i.e. the first month of the ticket for local and regional transport, there were 9 million users. According to the VDV, eleven million Germany ticket subscriptions were sold.
According to the VDV, there is still a lot of potential for more Deutschlandticket customers: “First and foremost, the approximately three million students should be mentioned here, for whom there is unfortunately still no political solution for a nationwide uniform Deutschlandticket,” said Wortmann. In addition, the changeover from job tickets in companies to the Germany ticket came to a standstill during the holiday months.