The 9-euro ticket continues to make headlines. A new evaluation by the Federal Statistical Office now impressively shows that the cheap ticket has achieved its goal. Discussions about a successor should thus receive new impetus.
Politicians have combined two goals with the 9-euro ticket: on the one hand, to relieve the financial burden on citizens in times of high inflation, and on the other hand, to make public transport attractive to them. Both have succeeded.
9 euro ticket brings people to public transport and lowers inflation
In a special evaluation, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) has Passenger volume in local public transport in the second quarter of 2022 watched (source: Destatis). The result is clear: A whopping increase of 46 percent over the quarter before. According to Destatis, the relaxation of the corona measures and the 9-euro ticket, which has been valid since June, are responsible for the increase. Compared to the same period last year, the increase is even higher at 74 percent.
And also the Inflation was slowed down by the 9 euro ticket, according to a study by the German Economic Institute (source: Spiegel). Without state intervention such as the 9-euro ticket or price-stable public services (waste disposal, hospital care, etc.), inflation would be two percent higher.
Worth knowing about the 9-euro ticket:
What happens after the 9 euro ticket?
The obvious success of the 9-euro ticket is likely to be the Give new impetus to the discussion about a successor. Chancellor Scholz and Minister of Transport Wissing have made it clear that the 9-euro ticket is to expire at the end of August as planned and referred to the high costs of 1 billion euros a month for taxpayers. However, there are proposals on how public transport can be made more customer-friendly and cheaper in the future – for example in the form of the Länder-PlusTicket or a northern German solution.
The transport associations in NRW have already prepared for the end of the 9-euro ticket and have announced a subscription campaign for September and October.