Traveling To Germany On A Budget? The New Summer Travel Pass Is For You

Anyone visiting Germany on a budget this summer will be able to save plenty on their public transportation costs. It has taken a while, but the German government has approved a plan to encourage the use of public transport. Meanwhile, the plan is to ease the skyrocketing energy and gas prices and the effects of inflation by offering a monthly public transit pass for just €9 (just under US$10).

Germany eases energy prices with a €9 travel pass

Currently, gas prices around the world are soaring, mainly fueled by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. However, the German government has been working on a plan to encourage locals and visitors to use the country’s excellent public transport system. Doing so will ease the effects of inflation and the increasing energy and gas prices. What the government came up with is a monthly public transit pass for the incredible price of €9 (US$10).

Meanwhile, the 9-Euro ticket will be available from June 1, 2022, through August 31, 2022. Once purchased, the travel pass allows the holder to travel as much as they like across all forms of public transport throughout Germany. Among the options are buses, S-Bahns, U-Bahns, local and regional trains and trams for one calendar month per pass.

However, it should be noted that the 9-Euro ticket doesn’t apply to long-distance trains like the ICE and IC trains. Moreover, the travel pass is not transferrable. Moreover, children under the age of six can travel for free, while those from six to 14 will require a ticket.

How to get the 9-Euro ticket

The quickest and easiest option to get the 9-Euro travel pass is to prebook through the DB Navigator App – Germany’s official railway company app – or online. Meanwhile, the ticket is available on the websites and apps of the various regional transport companies in Germany. For example, of the major cities, Berlin has BVG, the Munich area has SSB and the Ruhr Area has VRR.

All purchased tickets are valid throughout Germany, so it doesn’t matter on which website they are bought online. It is also planned to sell 9-Euro tickets at the various DB ticket machines and customer centers from June 1.

Meanwhile, the travel pass doesn’t cover long-distance trains like the IC or ICE, as well as trains and buses from private companies like Flixtrain and Flixbus. The only drawback is that regional trains tend to be slow and it can take almost a day to travel from one side of Germany to the other.

It must also be borne in mind that, unlike the traditional “Monatskarte” (monthly card), each 9-Euro ticket is valid for a calendar month and not from the date of purchase. Due to this, should a 9-Euro ticket be purchased towards the end of the month, it will only be valid for a few days.

Get an idea of the saving

The 9-Euro ticket is something new to Germany and is definitely a bargain, as German train tickets can be expensive. For instance, 24-hour tickets in Berlin cost €8,80 ($9.40), while single trips in Munich cost €3,50 ($3.75). Meanwhile, a normal day-pass, valid to travel across Germany, normally costs €42 ($45).

Due to the savings, the new travel pass will obviously be popular. For this reason, Deutsche Bahn has said additional trains and staff will be added to handle the summer travel demand.