Germany's €49 all-you-can-ride local and regional rail ticket is "already a great success" according to Evelyn Palla, CEO of rail operator Deutsche Bahn's regional networks, with traffic in June 25% higher than in April, the last month before the ticket was introduced.
Like last summer's €9 ticket, the ticket allows passengers unlimited travel on regional trains as well as on local trams, buses and subways across the country. Called the "Deutschlandticket" or "Germany Ticket," it's intended as both an anti-inflation measure and a way to get more people out of cars and onto less-polluting means of travel.
Palla told news agency RND that people were traveling "significantly longer distances" with routes to beaches and mountains especially popular. She said that in some regions "people were traveling as much as in the €9 summer."
Germany's transport minister is also pleased with the effect on local transit, pointing out that in the ticket's first three months local networks have seen an additional million subscribers. citing this as evidence "we have increased the number of subscribers who are firmly committed to public transport. That means there is not just casual use, but everyday use."
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