The 9-euro monthly pass to all German public transport, which gives unlimited travel on all commuter trains as well as municipal transport companies throughout Germany, is a huge success. The ticket was introduced by the federal government to alleviate consumers from the steep rise in fuel costs in June. It has been purchased by more than 21 million people in the country. Ingo Wortmann (President of the German Federation of Transport Companies, VDV) stated that the goal of selling 30,000,000 monthly tickets has been achieved. However, this figure is only for June. The German executive also gave the “gift” to the German Federation of Transport Companies (VDV), which will work in July and August.
TomTom, a traffic data specialist, also found that the initiative had obvious consequences for vehicle movement in urban centers. Traffic jams in 23 of 26 cities were significantly lower than before the introduction the single ticket. Experts conclude that this setback can be directly attributed to the introduction of the single, 9-euro bill. The report highlights that “people who use their vehicle to travel home to work or vice versa lost less time between June and May in almost all cities studied.” They noted that almost no effect on vehicle traffic was noticed within the first few days of the ticket’s introduction, but they also highlighted that there were positive effects on car flow in all cities. The cities with the greatest effects were Hamburg and Wiesbaden.
The VDV conducted a survey and found that German citizens will bet on the 9-euro note in July and August. However, they acknowledged that it was difficult to control how much of the note is used daily. Deutsche Bahn, a German railway company, has sold a large portion of those tickets. It said that it saw a 15% increase in passengers on its regional trains in June compared with pre-crisis levels. coronavirus. A single ticket costs 9 euros and allows you to travel from one end of Germany to the other using municipal or regional public transport. It takes 7 hours to travel from Munich to the Baltic coast by fast train. However, commuter transport can take at least twice that time. If cross-border suburban lines are used such as those connecting with the Austrian towns Salzburg and Kufstein or Basel, Switzerland, or Swinoujscie, the ticket allows for trips to other countries.
The Social Democrat Olaf Scholz (cabinet of the Federal Chancellor) introduced the 9-euro bill as part of a package to compensate consumers for the sharp rise of fuel prices. It is also meant to encourage public transport, reduce traffic, and help to reduce polluting emissions in order to prevent climate change. The state will be paying 2,500 million euros for the initiative, which the federal executive agreed to take on its entire cost. German politicians are under increasing pressure due to the success of the single ticket at 9 euros. The offer will end on August 31. There are currently no plans. The Greens, which are part of Berlin’s governing tripartite, would like to continue the project. The Confederation of German Consumer Associations proposes to offer a single monthly subscription to all of Germany at 29 euros. Experts such as traffic and transport experts from the Technical University of Dresden recommend not exceeding 50 euros.