With a view to the recently launched 9-euro ticket, Transport Minister Wissing is in favor of improving local transport. The offers should be more understandable and customer-friendly.

Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing is calling for far-reaching reforms to make local public transport more attractive in the long term.

“We have to take the opportunity to get more people excited about public transport,” said the FDP politician to the German Press Agency, referring to the 9-euro tickets that have now been launched. «Our public transport offer should be more understandable, more uniform and thus more customer-friendly.» Wissing spoke out in favor of user-friendly local transport apps and simpler tariffs.

“People don’t live in tariff zones”

In addition, small-scale structures in public transport would have to be broken up. “Uniform tariffs, offers across transport associations, that’s also real added value for customers,” said the minister. «People don’t live in tariff zones. People want to get from A to B. All the technical things that play a role in the background have to become invisible to users. Digitization helps us there, and we have to use it more. We should think about public transport more beyond our own zone and our own special-purpose association.”

Wissing described the 9-euro ticket launched at the beginning of the month as a “field test”. It is an opportunity to examine to what extent the price is the entry hurdle for public transport or whether more attractive offers are important. “In this way we can gain important insights into exactly this question and align our public transport offer accordingly.”

The 9-euro tickets are valid in June, July and August and allow unlimited travel on local and regional buses and trains throughout Germany for one month – much cheaper than normal monthly tickets, which are also only valid in the network area.