Enjoy the summer to the fullest. This phrase can be taken literally this year thanks to the 9-euro ticket for local public transport. As reported by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) after a preliminary special evaluation, the number of passengers in local transport increased sharply in the second quarter of 2022. The second quarter includes the months of April, May and June, in the latter the 9-euro ticket was valid for the first time.
With regional trains, including S-Bahn, 46 percent more people were on the move than in the first quarter of the year and 74 percent more than in the second quarter of 2021. In the cities themselves, the increases were lower. According to the Federal Office, 21 percent more passengers traveled there with trams and light rail vehicles (including elevated, underground and suspension railways) than in the previous quarter and 48 percent more than in the same quarter of the previous year.
The graph below shows the results:
In short-distance rail transport, i.e. in regional transport, the average distances covered were also slightly longer than in the previous comparison periods, averaging 25 kilometers per trip. One conclusion could be that the train has become an alternative to the car for many thanks to the cheap ticket. In addition to the 9-euro ticket, Destatis also attributes the developments to the relaxed corona measures.
Data from transport companies that use automated passenger counting systems and whose data were already quality-checked at the time of the analysis were evaluated. According to Destatis, it was not possible to make any valid statements about the volume of scheduled bus traffic, so the study is limited to rail.
The 9-euro ticket expires at the end of August. In the aftermath, it will certainly be exciting to look at the third quarter of 2022, which includes July and August for two months with the 9-euro ticket. Companies and politicians are currently discussing how affordable offers for using public transport could be designed in the future.
Those: Destatis
In the gallery: The Thuringian mountain railway. The heritage-protected funicular runs from the Schwarzatal to Lichtenhain. The flat route continues to Cursdorf, every half hour every day. The 9-euro ticket is valid on the Thuringian mountain railway.
