Starting May 2023, Germany is set to launch its new nationwide transport ticket, which will allow people to commute on its regional rail, metro, trams and buses for just EUR 49 (INR 4,345) a month.
The new pass is a follow-up to the European country’s popular EUR 9 (INR 798) transport ticket, which was launched in 2022 and sold about 50 million passes. The new pass, which recently got a green light in the German Bundestag (national parliament), is aimed at getting travellers to choose greener forms of commute.
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All you need to know about the new transport ticket in Germany
The pass is called Deutschlandticket and will come into effect starting May 1, media reports state. Unlike its predecessor, which lasted three months, this ticket will be a permanent feature. The annual cost of the scheme, which is about EUR 3 billion (INR 26,587 crore, approx), will be jointly funded by the federal and state governments, as per The Guardian. The pass will also be useful for students at German universities, who will be able to use the Deutschlandticket by paying an upgrade from their subsidised semester ticket.
The previous pass had led to overcrowding of trains pushing both the railway staff and actual physical capacities to the absolute limit. The newer pass, which is more expensive than the earlier one, is said to be designed to be attractive to those who commute to and fro from larger cities, wherein subscription rates exceed the EUR 49 (INR 4,345) per month price point.
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The new transport ticket in Germany will be available in a digital form and will be based on a subscription model that can be cancelled before the 10th of each month. However, the pass will not cover long-distance coaches and trains on the high-speed ICE network, The Guardian writes. Further, tickets bought in different cities and regions will come with different rules and add-ons because of the country’s decentralised political system. For example, those purchasing the ticket in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein can take a bicycle and a small dog (the size of a cat) on the train for free, while those in and around the southern city of Stuttgart will be able to transfer the pass to friends or family for an additional fee of EUR 9.90 (INR 877). Further, places such as Bavaria are offering tickets at just EUR 29 (INR 2,569) a month to students, trainees and those doing voluntary services.
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All INR conversions were done at the time of writing.
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Anushka Goel
Digital Features Writer
Anushka has previously worked with publications such as the Times of India and Being Indian. A graduate from Xavier Institute of Communications, she specialises in entertainment, food and travel. She also likes to write about sustainability and beauty. When not working, you can catch her reading a book, tending to her plants, cooking or playing an instrument.
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