According to a survey, more than every tenth adult in Germany (11 percent) has bought the Deutschlandticket for local and regional transport. In addition, 15 percent of those surveyed plan to take out the new subscription for the nationwide ticket, according to a survey by the opinion research institute Yougov on behalf of the German Press Agency. 14 percent of the more than 2,000 respondents were still undecided, while 57 percent have no intention of buying the ticket for 49 euros a month.
Of those surveyed who have already bought the ticket, 40 percent booked the subscription with Deutsche Bahn and 42 percent with a regional transport company. “We at Deutsche Bahn have sold more than 500,000 tickets since the start of sales,” said Evelyn Palla, responsible for regional transport on the Deutsche Bahn board of directors, the German Press Agency. “And there are more every day. That’s a great success.”
54 percent of those surveyed who have already decided on a Deutschlandticket want to use it to get to work, university or school. 66 percent stated that they plan to use the ticket in their free time. Multiple answers were possible for this question.
Ticket only by subscription
The Deutschlandticket is valid from May 1st and has been available for purchase or pre-order for a few weeks. A subscription must be taken out for the ticket, but it can be canceled on a monthly basis. The Deutschlandticket can also be obtained as a job ticket: If the employer pays at least 25 percent of the price, there is a discount of 5 percent. The ticket then costs the consumer 34.30 euros or less, depending on the employer’s contribution.
The ticket is issued as a mobile phone ticket, as a chip card and, with a transitional period until the end of the year, as a paper ticket with a QR code. According to a Yougov survey, only 17 percent of previous buyers used this option. 44 percent opted for a mobile phone ticket, 31 percent for a chip card.
Of those surveyed who did not want to buy the ticket, 28 percent gave the reason that public transport in their region was not well developed. 72 percent said they rarely or never use public transport.