Throughout Germany, a monthly public transportation pass will cost €49

Public transportation in Germany costs €49 for a monthly pass

Germany wants to introduce a pass for public transport at a cost of 49 euros per month if the authorities can agree on how to finance it. Valid across the country, the note could be introduced as early as January 1, 2023. The proposal follows a highly successful €9 note that went on sale for three months this summer as part of the government's efforts to help people to reduce their gas consumption, help fight inflation and promote more environmentally friendly means of transport.

German rail passes sold for €9 during the first three months of the year totaled 52 million, according to the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV). The pass, which expired on August 31, offered passengers unlimited use of local and regional German trains between the months of June and August. The VDV has called on the German government to introduce a replacement for the rail pass arguing that around 1.8 million tonnes of CO2 were saved during the bid period, a reduction equivalent to planting 90 million trees.

As for the new pass, one of its biggest draws for users is that it will be valid on all of the country's regional bus, train, and tram networks, each of which offers a myriad of fare options that many find confusing to navigate. “What fabulous news,” wrote Terry Reintke, co-president of the Greens in the European Parliament, on her Twitter account. "And yes: we must massively expand public transport."

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"After a meeting with his counterparts from the 16 German Länder, Transport Minister Volker Wissing announced that simplicity is better. Wissing said the new ticket would not be printed and could be purchased monthly or as an ongoing pass. This ticket is not valid for intercity trains, just like the €9 ticket this summer.

However, doubts remain about its funding. The federal government has offered to subsidize the pass with 1.5 million euros per year; states have expressed a willingness to do the same, pending an agreement on federal funding for regional train services. According to EURACTIV, the final decision will be taken next week, at the conference of state premiers. In addition to the new pass, which will be partly funded at the federal and regional levels, states want additional funding to expand their transport networks.

There were many people who found the €49 plan too expensive, according to Greenpeace. The environmental group says its own research shows that a €29 ticket would double ridership without requiring additional subsidies.

Meanwhile, public transport operators have complained about the risks associated with a limited budget. They warned that without committing to the necessary funding to operate the buses and trains, the benefit to the public is limited. “I understand that the national public transport ticket is of particular interest to the public. But the funding issues are just as urgent,” Oliver Wolff, director of VDV, said in a statement. "We run the risk of having to interrupt public transport services as they can no longer be funded due to rising costs."

Data from the German federal statistics office Destatis showed that short-distance train travel in Germany has increased over the past three months. Compared to the first quarter of the year (January to March), it increased by 46%.

According to the VDV, around 21 million €9 passes were sold in June, in addition to the 10 million subscribers who automatically received the discounted ticket. Surveys of 6,000 public transport users by VDV and Deutsche Bahn found that one in five people were encouraged to switch to public transport for the first time. The €9 pass cost the German government around 2.5 billion euros, according to Euronews.

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