A total of 52 million copies sold

According to the balance sheet of the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV), the 9 euro ticket is a successful model: it has been sold around 52 million times in total. Extensive market research has also demonstrated a displacement effect. It should be noted, however, that there had already been statements to the contrary.

Now the question is how to proceed with public transport. For my part, I don’t just see the problem in ticket prices, but in the structure: Deutsche Bahn has reduced its line network since the 1990s. In rural areas in particular, there are often few possibilities to use public transport as a serious alternative to your own car. So something has to be done there.

In any case, the VDV explains that the 9 euro ticket shows that people are ready to use public transport if the price is right from their point of view. In addition to the 52 million tickets sold, even more than 10 million subscribers can be added. According to the VDV, 10% of journeys with the 9 euro ticket would have replaced a journey that would otherwise have been made by car. Overall, the proportion of trips displaced from other means of transport is 17%, according to surveys.

The President of the Conference of Ministers of Transport (VMK) of the Federal States, Dr. Maike Schaefer underlines that local and regional transport must now be extended in urban and rural areas. But for that, you need secure – long-term financing. The federal government must act. It also makes sense to retain national validity for potential successors, as many potential buyers would otherwise feel discouraged by the pricing jungle. According to VDV surveys, the main reasons for not buying in rural areas are complicated connections, frequency, travel time and distance to the bus stop. Sales figures there are about half of those in urban areas.

According to the VDV, the three-month €9 ticket would have brought CO2 savings similar to what would otherwise have been possible for a year of speed limits on motorways. As already mentioned, however, these statements should be taken with a grain of salt, as other studies have come to the conclusion that the 9 euro ticket was mainly used for additional journeys. You can read more about the VDV’s track record for the 9 euro note here.

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