The successor to the nine-euro ticket offered for three months last year, the so-called Deutschland-Ticket, has been available since the beginning of May 2023 at a price of EUR 49 per month. So far, however, it has not been able to build on the great success of its predecessor.

According to the Association of German Transport Companies, ten million of these network cards, which are valid for local transport throughout Germany, have been sold to date. So far – in contrast to the previous year – there have not been any acutely overcrowded trains. This is probably not only due to the significantly higher price, but also to the fact that the purchase alone is much more complicated.

The nine-euro ticket was available at almost all vending machines, counters, online and via apps, without any complications. The situation is different with the successor, which now costs 49 euros, but in contrast to the Austrian climate ticket Ö is only valid in local transport. It is a subscription that can be canceled monthly.

Due to the fact that some large transport companies carry out a credit check, it is difficult for people with a corresponding history, which is on record in the so-called Schufa, to access it. Some companies refrain from such tests. Nevertheless, both the legislature and the transport associations make it quite complicated for passengers to get the 49-euro ticket.

The Pro Bahn association has severely criticized the fact that, in contrast to its predecessor, the ticket cannot simply be bought from machines and counters, but only via the Internet or at counters that offer the appropriate support. This would literally exclude older people and people who have a certain mistrust of online orders.

The passenger representation also criticizes that the 49-euro ticket is only available as a subscription. This can be canceled at the end of the month, but in general this has the effect that people from abroad, for example tourists, would hardly take out a subscription for a few days, which they would then have at least another month to deal with if they forgot to cancel.

The demand is for access to the network card to be simpler and less complicated, based on the model of the nine-euro ticket offered for three months last year. Apparently, German politicians do not want simple solutions to be found when complicated ones are possible.