Transport minister promises follow-up as 9-euro public transport ticket ends

The German government will present a “modern public transport ticket” after the population has “embraced” the 9-euro ticket the country introduced as part of a relief package in the energy crisis, transport minister Volker Wissing from the Free Democrats told public broadcaster Deutschlandfunk. The popular scheme, which allowed people to use local and regional public transport across Germany for 9 euros per month, wraps up today (31 August). “We will put a modern public transport ticket on the table, with which we can say that this government is progressive and also advances climate action and reduces CO2 emissions in transport,” Wissing said, without providing details. The minister called for digitalisation and a better tariff structure, and said that while the federal government was ready to put money on the table, states had to join in financing the new scheme.  

Wissing’s party colleague, finance minister Christian Lindner, said on Twitter that he was on board and called on state governments to do their part. “Once financing has been clarified, the price can be set,” Lindner wrote.

The government made the 9-euro ticket available between June and August in an effort to offset rising fuel costs. Since the start of sales in May, around 52 million tickets were sold. Transport companies said that the popularity of the ticket has not only shown that people are willing to embrace public transport and stop using their cars if such tickets became permanently available, but has also led to a significant decrease in transport CO2 emissions.