Absolute freedom of movement, for a nominal fee and no regrets about the ecological footprint. All of this becomes a reality in Germany if the “49 euro ticket”, valid from May 1 and equivalent to a monthly card with unlimited travel, works. Demand is huge, with three million tickets already sold. For only 49 euros per month, the person concerned can travel freely on all modes of transport in his city, as well as on all trains throughout the country (except for the high-speed trains InterCity and InterCity Express), and he can use all modes of transport. transport to the destination without additional financial costs.

Let’s make a hypothetical reduction to Greek facts: you live in Athens, take the subway to the train station on the weekend, take the train for an excursion to Chalkis, take the local bus to the beach, return to Athens, all without spending one euro over the “fixed” amount at 49 euros per month. Next weekend you choose a different direction.

The obvious aim of this measure is to increase the financial viability of public transport, which will now be able to plan with predictable returns, but above all to limit travel by car, especially in the city center, which in any case is no longer accessible in many cases. up to IX cars.

The “9 euro ticket” experience

Encouraging is the experience of the first relevant experiment, the “nine euro ticket”, which was installed during the recession of the pandemic, namely from June 1 to August 31, 2022. 52,000,000 “nine euro tickets” were sold and given the opportunity for many Germans Low-income travelers can travel for free to popular summer destinations such as the North and Baltic Seas, Bavaria and the Black Forest. Of course, there has been no shortage of misery for the workers who commute daily on business, as many times the trains have been suffocatingly overcrowded.

The environmental benefits are fairly clear, although evidence is still lacking. The first evaluations after the “€9 ticket” experience showed that although train trips increased significantly, car trips did not decrease accordingly. It can be assumed that many drivers bought a “ticket for 9 euros” in order to get an additional opportunity to travel economically, but without getting out of the car.

At the end of 2022, total CO2 emissions in Germany not only did not decrease, but even increased, reaching 148 million tons. However, the German Public Transport Association (VDV), in a memorandum published last summer, claims that just the introduction of a 3-month “€9 ticket” has led to a reduction in CO2 emissions of 1.8 million tonnes.

The question of financing is also a serious problem. Last year’s experiment cost the state budget 2.5 billion euros, and everyone agrees that a return to the “9 euro ticket” is inappropriate. Various proposals were heard, from 19 to 69 euros for a new “travel pass” in public transport, and, finally, the golden ratio of 49 euros was found. There were also political backlashes, as Finance Minister and Liberal Democrat (FDP) leader Christian Lindner, who is doing his best to limit Germany’s growing public debt, was initially opposed to the new “pass” but following a proposal from the also liberal transport minister, Volker Wissing .

“Upset” the rich

With such an economy ticket, everyone can plan their vacation more comfortably if they have the necessary patience. Example: if someone lives in Bonn, more or less in the center of Germany, and dreams of a trip to Sylt, the “island of the rich” in the North Sea, he can fulfill his dream completely free of charge by public transport. “to pass”. But it takes patience and planning, as local newspaper General-Anzeiger reported last year, calculating the itinerary on a “9-euro ticket.”

The journey starts at 5:48 am in Bonn with five transfers in Cologne, Essen, Osnabrück, Bremen, Hamburg and arrives in Sylt at 17:05. All this is only on the condition that all previous trains will be on time, which is unlikely.

But there are those who have time. Last summer, some groups of punk friends announced via social media that they would use a cheap ticket to go to Sylt and “upset” the rich a bit, some even announced a “protest camp” on the beach of Westerland, its capital island. . Many took it as a joke, but the inhabitants of Sylt and regular vacationers did not appreciate the humor.

Over time, several punk bands appeared, which from the first moment were under the supervision of the police. In November 2022, the municipal authorities made their assessment, stating that visitors incurred costs of 270,000 euros for emergency security measures, cleaning, etc. However, it is not certain that the same will happen this year. One of the visiting punks told a German television camera that “the island sucks” and he will not return…

Source: DV