Factsheet for measure
DE-2022-23/2253
–
Updated
– measures in Germany
Reduced €9 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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Responses to inflation
– 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 27 February 2023)
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Background information
In the course of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine fuel prices have been significantly rising. In May 2022, the German national parliament (Bundestag) adopted a relief package addressed to citizens, workers, and companies. The €9 ticket is a central part of the package and addressed to support commuters and all mobile citizens, workers, or self-employed.
Content of measure
From 1 June to 30 August 2022, a greatly reduced public transport ticket for €9 per calendar 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 buses and trains in local and regional transport, but not for long-distance transport (such as ICE, IC, or EC trains, and Flix trains and buses). The ticket is designed as a relief measure to reduce commuter costs and at the same time as an incentive to use public transport instead of the car for short-distance travel. The government has communicated the ticket also as an experiment 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 to implement 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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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 by 29 August they had sold 52 million €9 tickets. 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 percentage of trips with the €9 ticket per month (subscribers + ticket buyers) that were shifted from the car to public transport was around 10%. The average savings in greenhouse gases (CO2 equivalents) per month with the €9 ticket were estimated at around 600,000 tons of CO2 per month.
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
