9€ Bahn ticket: June, July, August (2022)

I like sla019's take. His conjecture was that all the regional trains will be unbearably packed for the first 2 weeks of June until the thrill of cheap travel wears off.

It was an idea of the federal government, in order to soften the prices for transport, which have risen sharply due to the Ukraine crisis. Many people doubt that it was a good idea. In any case, it can be expected that many people will buy the ticket in the first two weeks, not because they need it, but because it is cheap. A precedent of this kind was the introduction of the "Schönes Wochenende" ticket in 1995, which initially allowed five people to travel around the country for 15 Deutschmarks (about €7.50); the trains were overcrowded, but after a short time the situation had normalized, because train travel was more frustration than pleasure. So you should be prepared for chaos on local trains from about June 1-15. After that, everything will normalize: The government will boast of its feat, people will consider them even more crazy than ever, and the trains will become emptier.

Sam,

A couple of rail workers' unions and even the ProBahn advocacy group have already rung warnings of possible train/equipment and staff shortages, as well as overpacked trains on some/many routes. We'll find out soon enough ...

"One-off deal as relief for summer 2022: rising energy prices, pandemic relief."

I get why drivers might need a price break with the latest gas prices. Consumers of public transport in Germany, OTOH, have not experienced big bumps in ticket prices; this dramatic price drop will surely be welcomed by consumers, but actual energy costs will remain high and will be absorbed only temporarily by transport providers. By September 1, there'll have to be a "reckoning" of some kind.

According to this article from 4/27, some states are threatening to boycott the whole deal. Saxony, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg are having a public Kuh about the financial and logistical burdens imposed on them by the federal government, which they say is underfunding them. Besides the loss of ticket revenues that everyone foresees and ever-rising energy costs, they're dealing with general inflation and with increased ridership costs (Ukrainian refugees already ride for free) and will need additional train cars, security personnel, etc. to handle the anticipated onslaught. Some expect DB ticket sales on the IC, ICE etc. long-distance trains to suffer as thrifty customers opt for time-consuming trips on the slower trains using their 9-Euro ticket. B-W's transportation minister foresees a huge overall increase in ticket prices after the 90-day period is up. At some point, somebody will have to pay for all the summer freeloading, and unless there's a bunch more money coming out of Berlin, higher-than-ever ticket prices - and a large drop-off in ridership - will be the result.

Are the 9-Euro plan and the Schönes Wochenende Ticket comparable? Well, the S-W was a DAY PASS, not a MONTH PASS. When the S-W was discontinued, the price was €44 - €68 for 2-5 people. It was not uncommon that multiple groups of 2 couples or 4 friends would travel together, so at just €15/ each per day, in a time of normal economic circumstances, the regional trains were pretty packed on Saturdays and Sundays whenever the weather was good. And this crowding was part of the reason the S-W ticket went away. But when everyone living in Germany and every tourist in Germany can get a 30-day pass for just €9 during the summer travel season, and when many rail authorities in Germany are predicting "chaos", I would NOT expect the crowds to "normalize" starting on June 14, especially when you take into account how long people have been cooped up by this pandemic. The ticket lines will be short. But on the platforms and in the regional trains I think you should expect to be elbow to elbow. IMHO, this is not your grandfather's S-W ticket!

Thank you for the heads up about this!! We will be in Germany 6/18 - 6/26.

I had seen advice here not to buy your tickets ahead of time since it's easy to take the train the day of and then if your plans change a bit you can switch trains. With this being introduced though, is it likely trains eligible for the fare will get sold out? We're traveling on a Weds and a Sat in late June between Munich and Salzburg so are now debating if I should go ahead and buy the tickets. The timing is more important to me than the price in this case.

I get why drivers might need a price break with the latest gas prices. Consumers of public transport in Germany, OTOH, have not experienced big bumps in ticket prices;

do non-drivers not have electricity or gas (natural gas for heating, cooking, hot water and other uses in a home) or have to pay the very high prices now on food or buy things made using gas or electricity?

Most gas is used to make electricity and power factories, much of which is sourced from Russia, even though Germany and other European countries are trying to wean off it by the end of the year.

Russia turned off all the gas and oil to Poland and Bulgaria on Wednesday.

I'd suggest that we all in Europe are suffering these horrendous rises. Some food bills in England for example have risen 40 percent since Christmas.

We are leaving tomorrow 🤞for a month in Germany. At first i was disappointed to see that this ticket doesn’t go into effect until June but after reading about the pent up desire for travel I think I’ll be happy to pay a little more and potentially have less crowded trains in May. We have purchased our 4-5 longer train journeys already and will use day trip tickets within our region for close to our base travel when not using the car available to us.

@Nigel: Unless Berlin starts feeding people on the regional trains, letting people ride them for next to nothing is a bizarrely indirect way of subsidizing the essentials of life - food costs, heating costs, etc. Government subsidies toward those essentials that result in lower customer bills make much more sense.

Shawna: regional trains never "sell out" - when you buy tickets, you don't buy a seat - you buy passage. So what happens is a popular train ride at a popular hour on a popular travel day becomes very much overpopulated.

For that short train ride (< 2 hours) you mention, I might opt for an evening trip with departure after 7:30 pm or so. The €9 fare is a good deal, and there shouldn't be so much crowding at that hour.

specifically, for those of you who have been reading the fine print -

is this basically a one-month (calendar month) pass for all regional trains and local trams and buses (and of course S-Bahn) for 9€ pp?

Or do I have the wrong end of the stick?

Yes, it is announced that the ticket will be valid everywhere except on long-distance trains. This means that it is also valid on U- and S-Bahn trains and even on inner-city ferries, such as those in Hamburg and Berlin or Konstanz. The big problem is that at some times you won't be able to get on the trains at all. And trains that are overcrowded are not allowed to leave the station. And since few people will get off voluntarily, the police will have to clear the train. But then the train and all subsequent ones will be so much delayed that all travel plans will become moot.

The expectation, by the way:

will need additional train cars

will not be fulfilled. Over the past years, DB has largely replaced locomotive-hauled trains with railcars, and contracts for local train traffic between the Laender and the carriers are based on an agreed number of seats. There is no longer a reserve of cars available at will as there used to be.

The whole thing is obviously thought up by people who never board a train themselves. My expectation is still that the frustration over the whole mess will be so great within two weeks that the big run on the trains will die down.

We're traveling on a Weds and a Sat in late June between Munich and Salzburg so are now debating if I should go ahead and buy the tickets. The timing is more important to me than the price in this case.

If your time is set, you might want to book a saver fare for a long distance train (RailJet or EC from DB, or one of the four daily Westbahn trains, tickets for which are sold at www.westbahn.at)

The terms and conditions for the €9 ticket have now been published on the DB website (fun detail: Dogs must travel at 50% of the normal fare on many connections). You should be prepared that the trains are crowded at the beginning and it will not be the best with the punctuality (very sad, because in contrast to long-distance traffic, the local traffic is so far quite punctual).

thank you- I purchased two for june on the DB navigator app..

I posted this info in a thread on 5/21.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/germany/unlimited-travel-in-germany-in-june-for-9

I am assuming that the Regional Train Munich to Salzburg is not included in this type of ticket. Had planned to get a Bayern ticket originally.

It is. Salzburg is technically a DB (border) station.

Will this monthly pass cover Salzburg to Berchtesgaden bus or train? I assume this route is run by German transportation not austria..some one place confirm..

Trains only, no buses.

" ....valid for all local public transport in Germany"

What is the definition of public transport? I've been reading that the ticket isn't valid for things such as the buses within Berchtesgarden park, or the bus shuttle to Burg Eltz. How does one determine in advance if a particular bus/route is public or not/applicable to the 9E ticket or not?