German ministers agree details of new €49 monthly national transport ticket

Germany has agreed the final details of a new “Climate Ticket”, allowing countrywide, flat-rate travel on local and regional transport €49 monthly.

The new ticket is the follow-up to the €9 ticket, a successful three-month summer experiment designed to curb inflation and reduce petrol consumption and carbon dioxide emissions.

The new ticket is non-transferable, allows the holder bring children under six for free and will be available as a subscription costing €588 annually, with monthly cancellation possible.

At a meeting on Thursday, Germany’s federal transport minister Volker Wissing described the ticket as a “massive step forward” and said he is rushing to agree the final details with his 16 state transport colleagues to introduce the ticket on January 1st.

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The main final hurdle is cost: Berlin’s federal government has agreed to pay €1.5 billion to subsidise the new ticket, if the federal states provide matching funding.

“The negotiations were complex but we have emerged with a clear result,” said Mr Volker Wissing, Germany’s federal transport minister. With an eye on rising energy and petrol costs, he added: “I am sure many citizens with breathe a sigh of relief,” he said.

States governed by the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) are holding out their final backing until the federal government increases its general funding of public transport outside cities.

“Where there is no bus and no train, no cheap ticket will help us,” said Mr Guido Beermann, CDU transport minister in Brandenburg, the state surrounding Berlin. “This is especially true for rural areas, of course.”

On a more conciliatory note, Bremen city-state transport minister Maike Schaefer said discussions between the state officials had been “constructive”.

“We’re all very close together on this issue,” she said, praising work across party lines to secure an affordable transport ticket.

Once introduced, the ticket will be reviewed after two years.

Berlin ticket

Berlin’s city-state government has already introduced a €49 subscription ticket, covering transport within its city limits.

From June 1st to August 31st more than 52 million €9 tickets were sold and around one billion journeys taken.

A survey of 78,000 ticket users found that the summer switch from air and road to rail travel saved Germany about 1.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide — equal to 70 per cent of annual emissions from Dublin Airport.

A separate survey, based on mobile phone data, suggested train journeys were up 42 per cent from June to August, compared to same period in 2019.

As with the €9 offer, the new climate ticket excludes travel on high-speed ICE trains.

[ Derek Scally: Germans form disorderly queue for €9 rail ticket ]

Last October, neighbouring Austria introduced its own “climate ticket”, allowing people to travel across the country’s entire public transport network — from city tram to inter-regional train — for €1,095 annually. Those who secured an early-booker discount pay just €80 a month and, for a one-off payment of €110, up to four children can be added to the annual ticket.

Regional tickets, offering complete transport in two federal states, cost €495.

Austria’s ÖBB rail operator has called the climate ticket a success, with 180,000 nationwide and 120,000 regional tickets sold and total subscriber numbers up 40 per cent.