The 49-euro ticket for buses and trains should come, if possible from January 1st – the federal and state governments recently agreed on this. But whether it will actually be as successful as the 9-euro ticket in the summer is uncertain. Above all, social and environmental organizations criticize the price, which is perceived as too high: too much to persuade drivers to switch to local public transport, too expensive for poorer people.
A recent survey by the opinion research institute Insa for the “Bild” newspaper apparently agrees with the critics: According to this, 65 percent of those questioned rated the planned offer as good or very good. However, almost half stated that they did not want to use it.
The federal and state governments agreed on this at the last conference of transport ministers in Bremerhaven:
You can read more about the decision of the transport ministers here.
Among the stern readers who have written to the editors, there is a differentiated opinion on the 49-euro ticket.
Michael Zachau: “The ticket is undeniably a relief in the tariff jungle, it will reduce the monthly costs for many (mainly because you can drive across tariff zones) but one thing it won’t do: persuade people to leave their cars at home. That’s what it’s for One is only available as a subscription – what should I do with it if I only need it now and then? – and the other is simply too expensive for three or four times. The car park in the nearest town is cheaper. (…). a 365-euro ticket (‘only one euro per day’) would have been a psychologically valuable alternative.”
Manfred Krause: “As a pensioner who drives a car, I think 49 euros is too expensive! 29 euros would be good and would represent a welcome financial support for many people.”
Philip Flick: “49 euros is (…) a massive discount and – let’s be honest – a cheap option for a completely Germany-wide local transport system. Instead of getting this even cheaper to 9 euros, people in the country are much more likely to want it to invest the billions saved as a result in the expansion of routes, connections and personnel in order to be able to enjoy public transport at all. Unfortunately, this image is foreign to all people in metropolitan areas who can take a train every ten minutes. (…) So I personally find the ticket quite appealing the way it’s designed.”
Jürgen Schön: “The 49-euro ticket is not payable for pensioners with a small pension. A pensioner has to live off the 49 euros for a week. Why isn’t there a social ticket for pensioners who don’t have a pension of more than 1,000 euros?”
Birgit Hellthaler: “The subscription function (…) I find completely deterrent and the price is clearly far too high! (…) For nine euros, however, I would have bought the ticket purely out of solidarity (to support the financing and to convey my basic interest) and then used it for other journeys (shopping around town, visiting the doctor, etc.) or for the tram in Leipzig. (…) A little more courage would have done us all good.”
Alex P.: “I think the 49-euro ticket is great, it saves me 110 euros from the current price or I don’t have to drive through the city or fight for free parking spaces every day.”
Martin Wegner: “And once again the author (of this comment; editor’s note) is looking for the hair in the soup. But why is a society actually forced to carry a paper ticket after everyone who refuses to digitize? And let’s just wait and see whether there could be the unimaginable case that a man from Hamburg would like to leave his city to have a look around Germany.”
Sibilla Hoche: “For people with a small pension (disability pension), 49 euros is too expensive. That would be almost 100 euros for me and my partner. We can’t afford that.”
Andreas Voigt: “In my opinion, what I miss about the 49 euro per month ticket in Germany is the following: no reduction for the needy; no tax advantages for companies that want to subsidize the ticket for their employees; no obvious adjustments to the bus/train timetables. (…) For Germany vacationers with a lot of time in their luggage, however, this is a real bargain.”
Claudia Sassenberg: “The ticket price of 49 euros is too high. But the most annoying thing about it is the subscription.”
Thomas Berger: “For me, that’s a real bargain compared to today. I commute long-distance at weekends without a car. I commute to the office every two weeks, the rest of the time I’m at home and use public transport there. Today I have a subscription for 760 euros per year plus around 10 single trips at the office location at 2.70 euros per month, i.e. around 900 euros a year. I also travel very often in other associations, so the 49-euro ticket will make that easier too.”
Betty: “That can only work if we let more trains run at shorter intervals. Even in urban areas, a frequency of 30 minutes and more is not just a rarity. Ten-minute intervals are mandatory on many routes and at certain times. (…) The 49 euros is already the lowest limit as long as we don’t have enough trains and staff.”
Marek Wolk: “When the 9-euro ticket came up, I traveled a lot, after a long time I drove out of the big city where I live. So I shopped in supermarkets on the way, made my sandwiches on public benches, and got cheap bought a coffee and also drank it in public spaces to save money. I’ve seen a lot, I’m grateful for that, it did me a lot. I still have the lethargy from the two years of lockdown, time has slowed me down for a long time The ticket got me out of there temporarily. Having little money also means having little leeway when it comes to leisure activities, especially when it comes to excursions and trips. (…) Why isn’t the 49-euro ticket also included in the plans for the discount for people with low incomes? ? (…) Now the feeling of disappointment is back. I don’t count, I think.”
Klaus-Peter Seeger: “49 euros a month is too expensive for my personal public transport needs, I would actually never use the range. Price lower, range to the neighboring transport associations would be enough for me.”
Shaman Arithu: “For a bakery saleswoman with a net salary of 1300 euros, 49 euros can hardly be borne. Because the rent alone eats up 800 euros (if she’s lucky), and other ancillary costs eat up the rest. What’s left to live on is even more under the current basic set of rules. Not only must the cleanliness of the apartment be guaranteed with this, but it must also be somehow lived. Such a bakery saleswoman will not be able to afford this ticket, even if she needs it.”
Hans Peter Preuss: “The ticket is too expensive and only suitable for city dwellers!”
André A.: “What about the people who live in the country? Can they get fuel for a month for 49 euros to drive to work?”
