Why the price of the 49-euro ticket could change again

Created: 12/31/2022, 4:54 am

By: Oliver Schmitz

The Germany ticket is to be offered from 2023 for 49 euros per month.

But the price is not fixed for a specific period of time.

It could quickly become more expensive.

Cologne – One of the main reasons why the successor to the 9-euro ticket was so long in coming was the price.

For weeks or even months, politicians argued about whether it should be a 69, 29 or 49 euro ticket.

As is well known, first the federal government and then the federal and state governments agreed on the latter.

It was immediately communicated that a price adjustment was possible in the future.

But this could come much earlier than expected.

Wüst announces a price increase for a 49-euro ticket – dynamization should take effect earlier

The passenger association "Pro Bahn" suspects that the 49-euro ticket could quickly become a 69-euro ticket.

© Christian Ohde/Imago

Since its announcement, the 49-euro ticket has sparked one discussion after another.

After the question of financing, the launch date was a long debate.

On April 1, 2022, the federal and state governments agreed on a new start date for the Deutschlandticket.

And although that's not even set in stone, the next dispute over pricing policy is looming.

Because there are increasing signs that the federal and state governments could deviate from their previous plan, just like the introduction date.

A first subtle indication is the fact that federal and state politicians have only been talking about the “Germany ticket” since the beginning of December.

That was different in November, even after the name for the public transport subscription was announced.

At that time, the term 49-euro ticket was used like everywhere else.

Significantly more specific are the first reports of a price increase.

At the beginning of December, North Rhine-Westphalia's Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst said of the Deutschlandticket: "The price will increase." He did not say when and how much, but it sounded different when the 49-euro ticket was first presented.

When the Germany ticket was announced, it was explained that the price of 49 euros per month should initially apply for an “introductory phase” of two years.

After that, a price "dynamization" in the form of automatic inflation compensation is planned, which would make the public transport subscription more expensive after 24 months.

At that time, Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing even said: The more people who buy the ticket, the greater the chance that it will not be expensive.

But that seems increasingly unlikely.

Because the price adjustment is now officially planned from the second year, i.e. after 12 months.

Current news about the 49-euro ticket

There are still a few unanswered questions about the Deutschlandticket.

24RHEIN reports on all current events relating to the 49-euro ticket in the news ticker.

69 instead of 49 euros: Pro Bahn believes that the price of the Deutschlandticket will increase in the near future

Although the federal and state governments have already shortened the lifetime of the 49-euro ticket to twelve months, it could possibly be even faster.

“We suspect that a price increase will come very quickly.

There are increasing indications of this," says Andreas Schröder from the Pro Bahn passenger association to 24RHEIN.

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On the one hand, this is due to the fact that the specific price has not yet been mentioned over the term of the first two years.

On the other hand, it makes him skeptical that now "there is always emphasis on Deutschlandticket".

That's why Pro Bahn believes that the new public transport subscription "initially costs 49 euros, but the price will soon rise to 69 euros or more".

Since the Germany ticket could be too expensive for many people, at least in perspective, more and more federal states are planning their own ticket alternatives.

Above all, so-called “social tickets” for citizens with low incomes are becoming more and more of an issue.

Berlin and Lower Saxony, among others, want to offer this in the future.

On December 23, the consumer advice center demands that there should be such a social ticket nationwide, just like the Germany ticket.

And for 19 euros a month.