Over the Pentecost weekend, many regional trains were jam-packed, especially in holiday regions. That was also due to the 9-euro ticket. The industry is already preparing for the next rush.
The demand for the 9-euro ticket remains huge. Since the start of sales around three weeks ago, around 16 million have already been sold nationwide, according to the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV).
“In addition, there are at least ten million tickets from subscribers, which are valid as 9-euro tickets for the three months of June, July and August,” it said. This means that the company is well on the way to reaching the forecast number of up to 30 million users per month.
In June, July and August, the 9-euro ticket allows you to travel on local public transport throughout Germany. On the one hand, the tickets are intended to relieve consumers financially in view of the high inflation and, on the other hand, to make public transport more attractive. There is not yet any precise information about the increased demand for buses and trains across all transport companies and associations.
Ten percent more passengers in regional transport
Deutsche Bahn announced on Monday that, according to an internal evaluation, around ten percent more passengers were traveling in regional transport on the first two days of validity, June 1st and 2nd. The same applies to June 7th and 8th, the two days after the long Pentecost weekend. The “Spiegel” had previously reported.
According to its own statements, Deutsche Bahn compared the number of passengers on these four days with the average number of passengers on working days in 2021 as a whole and not with the corresponding days of the previous year. It therefore remains unclear whether the determined increase in passenger numbers is actually related to the 9-euro ticket.
