In Germany, the ticket of 49 euros is valid for local and regional transport

The long-awaited Deutschland ticket for buses and trains throughout Germany has been available since Monday. The ticket is valid nationwide on public transport for 49 euros per month since midnight.

According to a forecast by the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV), more than three million people have already bought their tickets for May. According to the association, this concerns 750,000 people who previously did not have a local transport subscription.

The ticket is sold as a monthly cancellable subscription. The VDV and Deutsche Bahn assume that 17 million people will buy the ticket in the future. However, due to the ticket, no overcrowded trains are expected in May. Unlike last summer’s €9 ticket, which is considered the predecessor, the €49 ticket is designed to last.

“We assume that with the Deutschlandticket we will have a noticeable increase in demand,” said Evelyn Palla, who is responsible for regional transport on the board of directors of Deutsche Bahn, the DPA news agency. “But that will not suddenly happen on May 1.”

The Deutschlandticket is funded by the federal and state governments. They want to make public transport more affordable and encourage more people to switch from car to bus and train. In the industry, the ticket is also mainly celebrated as the “end of the fare jungle” – however, the countries have already announced their own ideas for this ticket through special rules and additional tickets and have already implemented some of them. (sda/afp/dpa)