Germany to let commuters ride buses and trains for 49 euros a month

The ticket, valid on buses and trains, is a successor to the widely-popular 9 euro ticket Berlin introduced over summer, of which 50 million were sold, covering around 1 billion trips per month from June through the end of August. Some 1.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions were prevented over the three months the 9 euro ticket was available, German transport companies association VDV said.

Germany will introduce a nation-wide transport ticket for 49 euros ($48) a month from January, Transport Minister Volker Wissing said on Wednesday, with the aim of cutting CO2 emissions and helping citizens cope with soaring inflation. The so-called "Deutschlandticket" will cost around 3 billion euros, financed by both the federal and states' governments, with Berlin promising an additional one billion euros per year to help states cope with rising energy prices and staff costs.

"Attractive, digital, simple: now the way is clear for the largest tariff reform in local public transport in Germany," Wissing said in a statement. The ticket, valid on buses and trains, is a successor to the widely-popular 9 euro ticket Berlin introduced over summer, of which 50 million were sold, covering around 1 billion trips per month from June through the end of August.

Some 1.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions were prevented over the three months the 9 euro ticket was available, German transport companies association VDV said. ($1 = 1.0137 euros)