49-euro ticket: consumer advocates warn against narrow-gauge variants

Created: 12/23/2022 3:03 p.m

By: Lisa Mayerhofer

The 49-euro ticket should come in the course of the next year and tie in with the popular 9-euro ticket.

Consumer advocates call for the Germany ticket to be designed as flexibly as possible.

Berlin - In the coming year there should be a 49-euro ticket - but there is still a dispute about the modalities of the saver ticket.

The consumer advice centers fear that, among other things, this could lead to a narrow-gauge variant.

Consumer advocate on the 49-euro ticket: "Tugging was not good for the project"

They call for the future Germany ticket for buses and trains to be as flexible as possible.

The head of the federal association (vzbv), Ramona Pop, told the German press agency: "We advocate broad access to the 49-euro ticket, which can be bought through all sales channels and which you don't have to sign up for at least a year have to bind a subscription."

In the meantime, one has the impression "that the tugging has not done the project any good".

You don't know exactly when the ticket will come and who will get it and how.

It looks as if the federal and state governments want to get “the narrowest possible variant” off the ground.

"The momentum that there was in the summer with the 9-euro ticket has come under the wheels," said consumer advocate Pop.

“If it becomes a digital subscription model, it is not a sign that as many people as possible should use the bus and train.

You shouldn't forget that there are households that can't even take out an annual subscription or don't want to impose this financial obligation on themselves." .

It is required by law and we will look closely at it.”

The nationwide public transport ticket is to come in the new year at the introductory price of 49 euros per month and build on the popular 9-euro ticket from the summer.

The start date is open, the countries are aiming for April 1, 2023.

A digitally bookable, monthly terminable subscription is planned.

Many details are still unclear.

Faster compensation claims and social ticket for 19 euros

Pop said that the next step, which had to be done quickly, was a nationwide social ticket for 19 euros.

She again called for generally extended passenger rights for rail passengers.

Problems with delays have increased drastically.

"In view of this, the right to compensation should apply if there is a 30-minute delay," said the head of the association.

Here you could work unbureaucratically with 10-euro vouchers.

There is currently a claim for compensation of 25 percent of the fare from 60 minutes.