With a view to climate targets, the Federal Environment Agency has spoken out in favor of a successor model to the 9-euro ticket at the beginning of next year. The President of the authority, Dirk Messner, told the German Press Agency: “An attractive, nationwide valid follow-up offer to the 9-euro ticket could open the door for public transport to gradually be recognized as an attractive alternative to the car.” Such a door opener is urgently needed.
A successor model for the 9-euro ticket makes a lot of sense, said Messner. “However, it must be connected with investing in the expansion and quality improvement of public transport at the same time. This is the only way to make a shoe out of it, this is the only way to create greater development dynamics. Public transport capacities are currently limited.”
The 9-euro ticket expires at the end of August. Whether and – if so – from when there will be a successor model is open.
“The 9-euro ticket is used millions of times,” said Messner. “People accepted this offer and got on public transport. That is a success.” There is a first study by the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV) for the month of action in July, which sees a shift from private cars to public transport. The transport sector is regarded as a problem child when it comes to climate protection, and there is a risk that climate targets will not be met.
“People switch when it’s easy, when it’s cheap and when it can be used flexibly,” said Messner. A 9-euro ticket can hardly be financed in the long term. “A Germany-wide 49-euro ticket or a 69-euro ticket would make sense and could be financed by reducing environmentally harmful subsidies in transport.”
Deutsche Bahn also drew a positive balance shortly before the end of the 9-euro ticket. Around 26 million of the special trips were sold through the group’s channels alone, said the new regional transport director, Evelyn Pofalla, on Sunday. “One in five 9-euro ticket users has rediscovered public transport for themselves.” More passengers were traveling in regional transport than before Corona.
How many tickets were sold nationwide initially remained open. The Association of German Transport Companies (VDV) plans to publish current figures this Monday. At the beginning of August, the association announced that a total of around 38 million 9-euro tickets had been sold in the first two months of validity, June and July. In addition, there were around ten million subscribers who did not have to buy their own 9-euro ticket.
According to the Federal Environment Agency, the federal, state and transport companies must quickly clarify how exactly the financing of a successor model could look like so that a follow-up ticket can be offered at the beginning of next year. In the medium term, such an offer would attract more and more people to use public transport and thus make an important contribution to climate protection in transport.
“In traffic, we have to turn two big screws,” said the head of the authorities, Messner. “The first thing we need to work on is the powertrain turnaround. That’s electrification, we’re heading in the right direction, but we’re not there yet. The powertrain transition can reduce around half of the greenhouse gas emissions that we need to reduce in order to achieve our climate goals.”
