VDV balance sheet for the first month
Ten million Germany tickets sold
05/31/2023, 00:12
The 49-euro ticket has been well received: ten million Germany tickets have been sold since May 1, according to the VDV. While half of the holders switched to the nationwide tariff, five million rail passengers took out a subscription for the first time.
A month after the Deutschlandticket was launched, around ten million people took out a subscription. This is reported by the editorial network Germany with reference to new figures from the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV). According to this, around five of the ten million customers are so-called switchers who have switched from their existing subscriptions to the Germany tariff. According to the VDV, another 4.3 million passengers are new subscribers who previously bought single tickets or monthly tickets without a subscription. Around 700,000 people are new customers.
VDV President Ingo Wortmann assumes that the sales figures will continue to rise due to the change in tariffs. “The number of people who switch from existing subscriptions to the Deutschlandticket will increase significantly in the coming weeks,” he told RND.
Wortmann also insisted on expanding the range of local public transport: “The expansion and modernization of the overall public transport system must remain at the top of the political agenda. In addition to the Deutschlandticket, we also need the Germany offer in public transport.” He announced that nationwide improvements in public transport would be discussed with the federal and state governments. The Deutschlandticket is not enough for many people who do not find adequate bus and train services locally to be able to permanently switch to public transport.
The VDV had previously reported that technical problems were still occurring, especially when checking tickets across network boundaries. The digital and technical implementation is “not yet fully complete everywhere,” it said. According to the association, the transport associations want to eliminate the problems by the end of July. There have also been delays and problems with the orders and deliveries of the 49-euro ticket in the past.