16 million people snap up Germany's €9 ticket
So far, Germany's summer transport offer has proved to be a roaring success with customers - with 16 million people buying the €9 ticket since its launch in late May.
The figures were reported by Association of German Transport Companies (VDV), who have been tracking sales of the €9 ticket since it went on sale on May 23rd.
In the first three weeks since its launch, around 16 million people took advantage of the deal, which provides a month of unlimited transportation on local and regional transport anywhere in Germany for less than €10.
"Added to this are the at least ten million tickets belonging to the season ticket holders, which are valid as €9 tickets for the three months of June, July and August," VDV continued.
The operators said this meant they were well on their way towards reaching their forecasts of 30 million public transport users per month over summer.
READ ALSO: €9 for 90: Everything you need to know about Germany’s cheap travel deal
Spike in passengers
With the €9 monthly ticket deal running for the peak travel months of June, July and August, Deutsche Bahn and other German transport operators are expecting trains, buses and trams to be much busier than normal.
In early estimates from the first few days of June and shortly after the Whitsun weekend, DB said it tracked around 10 percent more passengers in the regional trains.
During the Whitsun weekend itself, there were reports of people not being allowed onto packed-out trains, which many attributing the chaotic scenes to the spike in demand caused by the €9 ticket.
However, some commentators pointed out that there had been similar scenes on German public transport on previous Whitsun weekends when there had been no budget ticket available.
READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: How is Germany’s €9 ticket really affecting public transport?
Originally announced in March, the cheap monthly ticket is part of a package of measures designed to offer financial relief for people struggling with high energy costs.
The government also announced a €3.13 billion tax cut for petrol companies that was intended to offer drivers relief at the pump. However, early signs are that the tax cut has not been fully passed onto consumers.
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The figures were reported by Association of German Transport Companies (VDV), who have been tracking sales of the €9 ticket since it went on sale on May 23rd.
In the first three weeks since its launch, around 16 million people took advantage of the deal, which provides a month of unlimited transportation on local and regional transport anywhere in Germany for less than €10.
"Added to this are the at least ten million tickets belonging to the season ticket holders, which are valid as €9 tickets for the three months of June, July and August," VDV continued.
The operators said this meant they were well on their way towards reaching their forecasts of 30 million public transport users per month over summer.
READ ALSO: €9 for 90: Everything you need to know about Germany’s cheap travel deal
Spike in passengers
With the €9 monthly ticket deal running for the peak travel months of June, July and August, Deutsche Bahn and other German transport operators are expecting trains, buses and trams to be much busier than normal.
In early estimates from the first few days of June and shortly after the Whitsun weekend, DB said it tracked around 10 percent more passengers in the regional trains.
During the Whitsun weekend itself, there were reports of people not being allowed onto packed-out trains, which many attributing the chaotic scenes to the spike in demand caused by the €9 ticket.
However, some commentators pointed out that there had been similar scenes on German public transport on previous Whitsun weekends when there had been no budget ticket available.
READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: How is Germany’s €9 ticket really affecting public transport?
Originally announced in March, the cheap monthly ticket is part of a package of measures designed to offer financial relief for people struggling with high energy costs.
The government also announced a €3.13 billion tax cut for petrol companies that was intended to offer drivers relief at the pump. However, early signs are that the tax cut has not been fully passed onto consumers.
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