The follow-up to the 9-euro ticket finally has a shape and a name: Germany’s 16 federal states have agreed on plans for a ticket that will be valid on public and regional transport nationwide for 49 euros per month, in a subscriber format. It’s just not clear when it will go on sale. 

German states settle on plan for 49-euro ticket

After two days of heated debates between the federal and state transport ministers, a nationwide successor model to the 9-euro ticket has finally been given the go-ahead, although the thorny issue of funding still needs to be ironed out. 

As the state transport ministers announced at a press conference in Bremerhaven on Thursday afternoon, the new ticket will be sold digitally and will only be available as a monthly subscription - although anyone who signs up for the scheme will be able to cancel their subscription at any time. Otherwise, it will continue to renew automatically on a monthly basis.

Transport Minister Volker Wissing told reporters that the new ticket represented a “massive deconstruction of hurdles” in the current system, as it can be used across state borders. “The new ticket will be just as uncomplicated, just as simple, as the 9-euro ticket,” he said. “Simple is better.”

Government and states still need to settle financing dispute

Although an offer is now on the table, things haven’t progressed as far as an actual start date, because the question of financing is still very much up in the air. The federal government has so far pledged 1,5 billion euros towards funding the scheme, but only on the condition that the federal states also contribute the same amount. 

The states, on the other hand, particularly those led by the opposition CDU and CSU parties, have called for additional funding to support the development of transport infrastructure in rural areas - areas where usage of the 9-euro ticket was not so high. 

The transport minister for Brandenburg, Guido Beermann, said at the press conference on Thursday that rolling out a discounted public transport ticket without actually having public transport connection in place would “make little sense.” 

49-euro ticket should go on sale in January 2023

These issues will be ironed out at the next summit between the state premiers and Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

The government previously set the target of introducing the ticket by January 1, 2023, and said the ticket would run initially for two years before being reviewed.