Factsheet for measure
DE-2022-23/2253
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Updated
– measures in Germany
Reduced monthly ticket for local public transport
9-Euro-Ticket für den ÖPNV
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Country
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Germany
, applies nationwide
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Time period
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Temporary, 01 June 2022 – 31 August 2022
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Context
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COVID-19, War in Ukraine, Green Transition
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Type
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Legislations or other statutory regulations
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Category
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N/A
– Support for other basic items (e.g., food, housing, public transport, medicines)
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Author
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Birgit Kraemer (Hans Boeckler Foundation) and Eurofound
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Measure added
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12 May 2022 (updated 13 June 2023)
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Background information
Russia's war in Ukraine has caused the price of fuel to increase. In May 2022, the German national parliament (Bundestag) adopted a relief package to support its citizens, workers, and companies. The €9 ticket is a central part of the package and addressed to support commuters and all mobile citizens.
Content of measure
From 1 June 2022 to 30 August 2022, a reduced public transport ticket, €9 per month, will be offered throughout Germany. Owners of an existing and more expensive subscription will be compensated. The ticket will be valid in Germany on local and regional buses and trains, but not for long-distance transport (such as ICE, IC, or EC trains, and Flix trains and buses). The ticket is meant to be a relief measure to reduce commuter costs and incentivize the use public transport for short-distance travel. By encouraging more people to use public transportation, the ticket also will allow the government to see how public transport can be enhanced in the future and contribute to the reduction of fossil energy use and CO2 emissions. The German states (Länder) are responsible for implementing the measure according to their respective legal frameworks. They will be supported by the national government with €2.5 billion.
Updates
The following updates to this measure have been made after it came into effect.
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09 May 2023
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The federal government will provide €1.5 billion annually for the Deutschlandticket from 2023 to compensate for the losses - the federal states have agreed to contribute the same amount. Any additional costs incurred by the transport companies in the introduction year 2023 due to reduced revenues will be borne equally by the federal government and the federal states
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01 May 2023
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The Deutschlandticket is to be introduced on 1 May 2023, this was decided on 27 January 2023. Sales are to start on 3 April 2023. The Deutschlandticket is the follow-up to the Nine-Euro-Ticket and is intended to be a permanent offer. It is part of the third relief package of the Federal Government of 2 September 2022. The Deutschlandticket will cost €49 per month. This means that the offer is significantly cheaper than the usual prices in most transport associations. However, the price of €49 is an "introductory price". Price increases at a later date are therefore not ruled out. Furthermore, the same conditions of use and restrictions apply as for the Nine-Euro-Ticket.
Still missing are the approval of the EU Commission and an adjustment of the Regionalisation Act (Regionalisierungsgesetz) for the financing of the ticket, which has to pass the Bundestag and Bundesrat after a cabinet decision.
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Use of measure
The German Association of Transport Companies (VDV) reported that they had sold 52 million €9 tickets by 29 August 2022. Additionally, about 10 million subscribers to other ticket formats (e.g. monthly tickets for commuters) had received the €9 ticket automatically. According to the VDV study, the €9 ticket per month (subscribers + ticket buyers) helped to shift about 10% of car use to public transportation use. The average savings in greenhouse gases (CO2 equivalents) are estimated at around 600,000 tons of CO2 per month as a result of the €9 ticket.
According to the Federal Government in May 2023, 7 million passengers had already purchased a Deutschland-Ticket season ticket since the start of advance sales. About 2 million of these are new subscribers. The industry association VDV expects up to 6 million new subscriptions in the coming weeks. In addition, according to the VDV forecast, there will be a further 11 million regular customers who will switch from their current subscription to the cheaper Deutschlandticket.
Target groups
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Workers
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Businesses
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Citizens
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Does not apply to workers
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Does not apply to businesses
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Applies to all citizens
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Actors and funding
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Actors
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Funding
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National government
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National funds
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Social partners
Social partners' role in
designing the measure
and form of involvement:
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Trade unions
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Employers' organisations
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Role
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Unknown
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Unknown
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Form
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Not applicable
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Not applicable
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Social partners' role in the
implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:
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Unknown
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Main level of involvement: N/A
Involvement
Unknown.
Views and reactions
The German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) supports an affordable public transport ticket in general, but calls for a long-term solution with a €1 or 2 ticket and large-scale investment in the public transport infrastructure.
Sources
