Germany plans public transport boost with €9 a month ticket

theguardian.com:

Millions of Germans are expected to take advantage of a summer of cheaper travel from next month under government plans to boost public transport use and give financial relief to consumers facing a cost of living crisis.

A €9 a month ticket scheme is to be introduced from 1 June allowing travel on all modes of city and regional transport. A different ticket will apply for each region and it will be available for three months until the end of August.

Germany’s upper house of parliament approved the move on Friday, following on from the Bundestag on Thursday. The scheme will cost the government €2.5 bn as it is due to pay back to transport companies the shortfall in income as well as the cost of administering the sale, including giving back to commuters who already have season tickets, the amount they are effectively out of pocket.

The cost of the ticket is a fraction of the normal cost of travel, amounting to around a sixth of the price of the cheapest monthly ticket available for Berlin’s central zones.

The scheme is in response torising energy prices and is intended to offer everyone from commuters and weekend trippers who might normally choose to take the car, the chance to out the benefits of public transport.

However, detractors have warned of overcrowded trains, buses and trams – some of which are already full to capacity – and restrictions on taking bicycles and prams due to lack of space. They suggest that when the experiment is over, ticket prices might have been pushed up considerably by a further expected rise in inflation making public transport less attractive.

Volker Wissing, Germany’s transport minister, of the pro-business FDP called the €9 ticket a “huge opportunity” for climate-friendly mobility in Germany. He