At the end of the month, the 9-euro ticket, which can be used nationwide, is history again. Since it has contributed to the massive use of public transport throughout Germany, demands for successor solutions are increasing.
Munich (dpa/lby) – More than 90 percent of the participants in a survey by the Bund Naturschutz (German Nature Conservation Union) in Bavaria often gave up driving because of their 9-euro ticket. This is the result of a survey by the association, the results of which are to be presented in detail on Monday in Munich. Accordingly, the nationwide valid monthly ticket, which allowed the use of all public transport offers as well as the regional train service for 9 euros, had “added value” for 93 percent of those surveyed. 64 percent also stated that they use public transport more frequently than before thanks to the 9-euro ticket.
The survey took place online between July 18th and August 8th. According to the Bund Naturschutz, almost 10,000 people between the ages of 18 and over 70 took part. There was no representative selection.
The effects of cheap tickets on user behavior have already been examined by some universities. A study by the Technical University of Munich (TUM) also came to the conclusion that the cheap ticket was an incentive to use public transport more. In some cases, however, completely different figures came out: 35 percent of the study participants from the Munich area traveled more frequently by bus and train. In addition, 3 percent used their own vehicle less often and 22 percent of the participants used the bus and train again, although they had not previously done so.
After the 9-euro ticket expires at the end of the month, the Bund Naturschutz is calling for a nationwide follow-up solution in the form of a 365-euro annual ticket for people on low incomes.
A successor solution is currently not in sight. As before the introduction of the 9-euro ticket, the federal and state governments are arguing about financing. The federal government is contributing 2.5 billion euros to the current discount campaign to compensate for the loss of income from transport providers.
Bavaria’s Transport Minister Christian Bernreiter (CSU) recently stated that the Free State would not provide any money for a successor solution, this was solely a matter for the federal government. Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) had also stated that there was no financial scope for continuing the limited offer.
The survey also made it clear that public transport connections in rural areas are still significantly worse than in cities. While 92 percent of those surveyed in the cities have a bus or train stop at least one kilometer away from which a bus or train runs at least once an hour on weekdays, only 71 percent in rural areas were able to say so. Bottom of the governmental districts is Lower Bavaria with only 48 percent.
