Single ticket of 9 euros for transport in Germany: success or fiasco?

A few months ago, the German government announced a huge discount on national public transport tickets for the months of June, July and August. Each ticket would allow Germans to use the entire transport network for the price of 9 euros per month (about R$50).

The news, aimed at placating the high cost of living and the price of fuel, left many people excited, although some questioned whether the country’s transport infrastructure could handle the predictable increase in the number of passengers.

Significantly, Deutsche Bahn, Germany’s railway operator, was quick to warn passengers in advance to avoid carrying bicycles on trains from June onwards due to lack of space.

Public authorities who manage transport networks across the country have had little time to prepare. “We had to adjust our sales infrastructure and purchase additional buses, trains and transport, which I must say was not possible in such a short period of time,” said Lars Wagner of the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV), an organization that represents 600 associations and public transport companies in Germany.

overcrowded trains

Many anticipated overcrowded means of transport on the Pentecost holiday in June. They were right: numerous regional trains bound for the popular North Sea and Baltic Sea coasts were so full that they had to refuse passengers. Transporting bicycles has become almost impossible.

Passenger volumes were higher than expected, reports Wagner. After all, Pentecost is a public holiday and a time when many travel across the country by train or bus. The VDV certainly already expected crowds to flock to popular tourist destinations, embark on weekend excursions and visit the country’s main cities.

Berlin and Brandenburg also saw a considerable increase in passenger numbers. Trains departing for the Baltic coast and other popular destinations were packed, says Joachim Radünz of VBB, the two states’ public transport association.

lack of employees

The discounted ticket encouraged many who never or rarely travel with public transport to do this experience. German parliamentarians were certainly counting on the measure to have this effect.

This, however, created a new set of challenges, according to Wagner. Some of these inexperienced travelers did not know, for example, where to go inside the stations. This led to delays, with bewildered passengers stepping out onto the platforms to try to find their way around, thus blocking anyone who wanted to get off or on the carriages.

Staff at some stations helped passengers to minimize delays. “In Cologne, I saw people helping others to get on board fast, so that they could board as well,” said Dennis Junghaus of the German Railway Alliance, an organization that advocates more investment in infrastructure.

He stressed that improvements will be needed in the coming weeks and that he expects to see a much larger number of staff helping travelers in the country’s main transport hubs.

sales success

So far, there has been a huge demand for the €9 tickets. More than 21 million were sold between May, when sales began, and July, according to VDV. In addition, 10 million carriers of subscriptions to the transport network also received the discount.

Sales, as well as the number of passengers, exceeded the expectations of the sector. In June, Deutsche Bahn recorded a 10% increase in the use of regional trains. while Berlin and Brandenburg had 25% more passenger flow on certain routes, says VBB’s Radünz.

Thus, passenger volume has almost returned to pre-pandemic levels. Across Germany, “the €9 ticket got us roughly back to where we were before Covid,” agrees Wagner.

What’s the verdict?

Radünz notes that the single ticket was a resounding success in Berlin and Brandenburg, where many chose to use trains instead of driving. Citizens used the valley on weekends, taking their children north of the capital to the Spree Forest and other destinations.

The VDV’s Wagner verdict, on the other hand, is a little more ambivalent: while he praises the €9 ticket for encouraging more citizens to use public transport, he criticizes the scheme’s funding.

“The Ministry of Transport provides 2.5 billion euros within three months to compensate for the loss of income generated by the artificially cheap ticket, but so far, no money has been released for hiring extra staff, buses or trains.”

So he doesn’t see how the scheme could be viable after August. At least not at the price of 9 euros a month.