According to industry information, around seven million people have now subscribed to the new Deutschlandticket. Among them are around two million people who did not have a subscription for public transport before the introduction, according to the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV). “The good start to advance sales has been confirmed in recent weeks. Demand for the Germany ticket is consistently high,” said association president Ingo Wortmann.
The Germany ticket for 49 euros per month has been valid since May 1st. It entitles you to travel on all local and regional buses and trains nationwide. The ticket is intended as a subscription, but can be canceled on a monthly basis. It is usually non-transferrable. The ticket can be bought as a job ticket if the employer pays at least 25 percent of the price. The VDV assumes that five to six million new subscribers will opt for a Germany ticket in the long term. In addition, according to the VDV forecast, around eleven million regular customers will switch from their subscription to the Deutschlandticket.
In the past few days, there have been reports from various cities of long queues at the transport companies’ sales and service points. According to the VDV, a good half of the tickets have so far been ordered via smartphone. The other half is therefore issued as chip cards. With a transition period until the end of the year, the ticket can also be issued in paper form with a digitally readable QR code.
When ordering a Deutschlandticket chip card, there may be delays because not enough cards could be obtained everywhere. “We were also aware of the problem beforehand. We will need up to 30 million chip cards for German public transport in the near future. In view of the semiconductor crisis, the high chip demand from many industries and the war in Ukraine, there will inevitably be delays in the delivery,” said VDV President Wortmann.
