Germany says goodbye to 9-euro public transport ticket
The 9-euro train ticket scheme, which allowed unlimited travel with regional transport across Germany for three whole months, is over.
The past three months have been a special summer for Germany’s public transport: the country allowed passengers unlimited use of any regional or local public transport at the cost of €9/$9 per month. The ultra-cheap ticket scheme ended at midnight yesterday with around 52 million 9-euro tickets haiving been sold nationwide over the three-month period according to the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV).
The measure, which German magazine Der Spiegel described as "the largest experiment Germany has ever undertaken on its local public transport system," has helped consumers deal with record-high inflation and encouraged the use of public transport across the country.
Some of wGermany's federal states are proposing new discounted public transport tickets but due to cost concerns, so far, there is no set follow-up offer and the ticket prices will bounce back to their usual levels starting this September. A monthly ticket in Berlin ordinarily costs €86 or more while passengers in Munich are expected to pay up to €150 per month.