opinion
9 euro ticket successor
The 49 euro ticket is a big hit, but…
Ticket machines should become superfluous for most people when the 49-euro ticket is introduced
© Sebastian Kahnert / DPA
Travel across the country by bus and train for a month with the 49-euro ticket – that sounds like a good idea. And it is. However, our author is not completely convinced.
There was talk of a “game changer” on the fringes of the conference of transport ministers, at which the follow-up offer for the 9-euro ticket was being developed.
And there’s no question: the 49-euro ticket, if it actually comes out, is a big hit. At least for those who will use it, the tariff small state system in local public transport (ÖPNV) will then come to an end. The offer is potentially even a first step towards a uniform fare for buses and trains throughout Germany.
49 euro ticket has three disadvantages
But the offer suffers in three places: It should only be offered as a subscription. This should be able to be canceled on a monthly basis, but the planned automatic extension month by month makes it unnecessarily complicated. Those responsible should make improvements here and give customers the choice: once or by subscription.
In addition, the ticket should only be offered digitally without necessity, so an admittedly small group of people is excluded from using it, older people for example, but also those who demand a right to an analogue life. The smartphone compulsion is likely to lead to an avoidable discussion.
But the biggest disadvantage of the 49-euro ticket is something else: it’s still too expensive. The great success of the 9-euro ticket proves that, above all, it is a cheap price that makes large numbers of people switch to buses and trains. Then they are willing – at least in second class – to accept sacrifices in comfort such as wagons without air conditioning or standing room. This refutes the long-held myth by transport companies and politicians that the ticket price is secondary or even third-rate for public transport users and that they are more concerned with modern vehicles and other “quality criteria”. The 9-euro ticket was so popular and successful mainly because it only cost nine euros.
Offer to be reviewed after two years
To get to the bus and train starTo come to the editorial office, I have to pay 58.50 euros a month to the Hamburger Verkehrsverbund. So I don’t even save ten euros a month with the 49-euro ticket. Certainly: This is an isolated case and many people pay significantly more for a public transport subscription. But others less so. And: With the new offer, I could also take a regional train to Munich or a tram in Leipzig, but let’s be honest: How often does that actually happen…
Will saving a few euros really persuade a significant number of drivers to switch to public transport? I think: no. Especially since 49 euros a month is still a lot of money for many people with low incomes.
I mean a 365 euro ticket for the whole year or a 29 euro ticket a month (which basically amounts to almost the same thing) would be good deals. But it will probably be different. The 49-euro ticket is to be reviewed after two years. It doesn’t take much imagination to imagine the result: the price will rise – or the offer will be abolished altogether. Both would be wrong signals.
It is doubtful that the 49-euro ticket will actually become a “game changer” under these circumstances. But it is definitely a step in the right direction.
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