Germans can travel around the country for just 9 euros (R$ 46) a month from this Wednesday (1st), for three months, under a package of government measures aimed at cushioning the effects of rampant inflation and rising prices of fuels in Europe’s largest economy.
The measures include a cut in fuel taxes, with immediate effect to lower the price of gasoline and diesel at stations to well below 2 euros (R$ 10.24) a litre.
According to statistics from Adac, the German automobile association, “E10” gasoline was €0.30 per liter cheaper, and diesel was about €0.14 cheaper on Wednesday morning than it was 24 hours earlier.
Inflation in Germany reached 7.9% in May as Russia’s war against Ukraine drives up energy prices, disrupts supply chains and disrupts agricultural exports. The government is under increasing pressure to help consumers.
The €9 fare is intended to offer relief and convince people to switch from cars to public transport – a key objective for the Greens, one of three parties in Germany’s Social Democrat coalition government. Berlin has promised the 16 German states €2.5 billion to compensate them for the extra costs associated with cheaper airfare.
The ticket, which is valid for all public transport but not for long-distance travel by intercity buses and trains, has already proved to be a great success. About 7 million had been pre-sold as of Monday (30), according to VDV, which represents Germany’s regional transport companies.
VDV estimates that around 30 million people will buy the €9 ticket in each of the three months the offer is in effect.
Some experts and consumer groups feared this would lead to overcrowding on buses and trains, especially on routes popular with weekend users. But so far, there is little evidence of this.
“The trains weren’t overcrowded, but today was a normal working day,” a Deutsche Bahn spokesperson told DPA. The “June 6 bank holiday weekend will undoubtedly be a challenge,” he added.
Germany is one of several countries in Europe that has acted to reduce the cost of public transport, in part to encourage car-driving.
Austria adopted the “climate pass” last year, which allows its citizens to use national public transport for the equivalent of just €3 a day. Cities in France, including Niort, Dunkirk and Montpellier, have also reduced fares.
Lisbon announced plans to offer free transport to some residents, such as seniors and students. And Luxembourg made all public transport free in 2020.
Although the German €9 ticket has been widely praised by consumer groups, it has its critics. Lukas Ilffländer of the German passenger association Pro Bahn said he was concerned that people would be put off by overcrowded trains and return to driving cars.
“The €9 ticket will show that the current infrastructure is not suitable for making such an offer in the long term,” he told ZDF TV.
Experts hope that the schema will provide useful information for future planning decisions.
“We’ve never had a large-scale experiment on public transport before,” Philipp Kosok of the Agora Verkehrswende study group told ZDF. “Mobility researchers are really looking forward to the data.”
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