for its first anniversary, the “Deutschlandticket” did not fulfill all its objectives

Unlimited access to buses, metros, local and regional trains: such was the promise of the “Deutschlandticket” which came into force on May 1, 2023. This German “rail pass” thus allows travel on all urban networks (metro, buses, trams). ) and on the country’s regional trains for 49 euros per month. Funded equally by the federal government and the Länder, this subscription was launched to help the population cope with inflation and encourage the use of the least polluting transport.

At the time of the first assessment, the program has not fulfilled all its objectives: if, in one year, the “Deutschlandticket” has attracted 11 million subscribers, this is a figure still far from the 16 million initially envisaged. to make the system economically viable.

An expensive system and not enough subscribers

And for good reason: the ticket is expensive for transport authorities who suffer losses of revenue that the State and the regions partly compensate for each year to the tune of 3 billion euros. The price of the ticket could soon increase to 59, or even 69 euros per month to help finance the system.

Also note: among new subscribers, 8% had never used public transport before… Here again, the shift from the car to buses, metros, trams and trains is insufficient to significantly reduce CO2 emissions. For the government to achieve its climate goals, three times as many Germans would have to stop traveling by car.

Finally, and unsurprisingly, 8 out of 10 subscribers are urbanites. In rural areas, the transport offer is less developed and many residents therefore have no other choice but to use their car.