Complex tariff zones a thing of the past? - the confusing structure of German public transport has been a matter of indifference to many millions of people in Germany for the past six months. Since then, the Deutschlandticket or 49-Euro-Ticket has been around. Time for a first assessment: How many people use the Deutschlandticket? What has the 49-Euro-Ticket achieved so far?
Many spoke of a revolution in public transport when it was introduced: the Deutschlandticket has been available for six months. Since 1 May, users have been able to travel throughout Germany by bus and train on local and regional transport for 49 euros a month. People should no longer have to worry about the different tariffs and ticket categories of the numerous transport associations in Germany. As a "flat rate for local public transport", the 49-euro ticket is valid throughout Germany on all scheduled buses, trams, underground trains, suburban trains and local and regional trains. Users take out a subscription that can be cancelled monthly.
Around ten million people now have a DeutschlandticketAccording to the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV), there are now around ten million Deutschlandticket holders. Almost half of the users have existing season tickets, i.e. they are regular customers. The other half used to travel with single tickets or season tickets. These passengers could thus be permanently tied to the public transport system. Eight to ten percent are newcomers to public transport and previously travelled by car, for example. According to the VDV, five percent of all journeys with the Deutschlandticket would otherwise have been made by car.
Another survey now shows that many Deutschlandticket holders have indeed changed their mobility behaviour. Around a third (33 per cent) of the subscribers surveyed travel more than before, and almost as many (31 per cent) leave their car at home more often since they subscribed to the Deutschlandticket. This is the result of a representative survey conducted by the YouGov Institute and commissioned by the Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa). The survey also revealed that almost every tenth season ticket holder walks less or cycles less. 37 percent said they had not changed their mobility behaviour. Multiple answers were possible.One in five can imagine a Germany Ticket subscription.
After all, around a quarter of all respondents had purchased the ticket for at least one month in the first six months. Almost one in five respondents said they had not yet purchased a Deutschlandticket, but could imagine buying one.In contrast, slightly more than half of those taking part in the survey (53 per cent) had not yet subscribed and could not imagine buying one. The reasons for this: more than half (57 per cent) of these people said they mainly travel by car. Around a third miss an adequate public transport service in their own region. For 15 percent of the people who have not yet had a subscription, the offer is too expensive at 49 euros.
For the survey, 2120 adults in Germany were interviewed between 27 and 30 October. The results were weighted and are representative of the population aged 18 and over. Among other things, the survey asked how the 49-Euro-Ticket has changed people's mobility behaviour and for what reasons people have not yet purchased a Deutschlandticket.
The future of the Deutschlandticket is already being discussed because, among other things, the financing for 2024 is still open. In addition to unresolved financing, from the customer's point of view there is also the question of how the Deutschlandticket can be further developed to enable even more people to travel by bus and rail. For example, the Deutschlandticket is currently only available to individuals. This means that only the person registered can use the ticket. However, this makes the ticket inflexible. A customer-friendly arrangement for the future could be to allow family members, friends or pets to travel with the ticket. At least for the weekend or on weekdays, for example, from 8 pm, as is already possible with season tickets or the job ticket of some transport associations. In this way, more people could be addressed in the future who have not previously considered buying a ticket for economic reasons.
The 49-euro ticket is well received by German companies. Many companies offer their employees the Deutschlandticket Jobticket as an alternative to a company car. According to the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV), around 15 per cent of the 10 million Deutschlandabos sold so far are Jobtickets.
More than half of the large companies in Germany offer the Deutschlandticket subscription to their employees at a reduced rate as a Jobticket. In a survey by the environmental organisation Greenpeace among the 90 corporations listed on the Dax and MDax, 46 of the companies inquired indicated that they provide their employees with a Deutschlandticket Jobticket. 31 corporations stated that they do not use the Jobticket scheme. At one company, the Deutschlandticket job ticket is in the planning stage. Twelve companies have not yet given Greenpeace an answer.
If companies subsidise the Deutschland-Jobticket for their employees by at least 25 per cent, the state supports this with a further 5 per cent. According to the Greenpeace survey, about one third (16) of the companies asked use this discount scheme. The remaining 30 companies subsidise the ticket even more. In six companies, the employer even pays the entire cost of the ticket. In these companies, employees pay nothing for the offer.
Employees of companies can get the Deutschlandticket from their employer at a lower price as a job ticket. If employers offer their employees the Deutschlandticket and subsidise it by at least 25 per cent, the Federal Government pays a further 5 per cent of the ticket price. This way, employees can save at least 30 per cent and pay a maximum of 34.30 euros per month for a Deutschlandticket. Significantly less than the 49 euros of the original ticket price. This also has advantages for employers. They can deduct the costs they cover for the job ticket in the form of an employer subsidy from their taxes as business expenses or expenses for the employee.
