Germany launches €49 monthly public transport ticket
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Loading... - Maria Laine
- 17 Apr 2023
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The coalition government has launched a €49 monthly travel ticket to help ease the cost of living and promote the use of public transport. How revolutionary is it?
On April 3, Germany's new €49-ticket went on sale after Transport Minister Volker Wissing of the neoliberal Free Democrats (FDP) announced the government would liberate public transport from the nationwide "tariff jungle."
Available to buy online as part of a digital subscription, residents and tourists will be able to travel on local and regional public transport networks across the country for €49 ($53.50) a month from May 1, 2023.
The €49 "Deutschland Ticket" is being introduced to help ease the cost of living while making public transport simpler, more affordable and thus more attractive for commuters in the so-called "car nation."
The idea is that encouraging more people to switch from cars to trains will also help Germany to achieve its climate targets. However, long-distance travel on buses, as well as on trains such as the high-speed Intercity Express, or ICE, is not covered by the ticket.
Luxembourg became the first county to introduce free public transport for both residents and tourists nationwide in March 2020.
And Malta introduced free public transport for holders of a smart card — available for a €15 registration fee — on the majority of its bus routes last October.
Several European towns and cities, including the Estonian capital, Tallinn, and Dunkirk in France have also introduced similar schemes.
In Austria, commuters can travel on all public transport anywhere in the country with its KlimaTicket ("Climate Ticket") for €1,095 a year with concessions for the disabled and families, among others. Read More…
