Evelyn Palla, the CEO of Deutsche Bahn, stated that she does not want to lower the price of the Germany Ticket back to the previous 9 Euro rate. Speaking to the “Funke” media group’s newspapers on Saturday, Palla asserted that “the 9 Euro ticket was and is in no way financially viable”. She added that even with a cost of 63 Euro, an additional three billion Euro from the federal government and the states would still be necessary annually. Consequently, Palla expressed that she does not anticipate a reintroduction of the low-priced travel pass.
The 9 Euro ticket was available during the summer of 2022, running from June to August. At that time, rising energy prices due to the Russian attack on Ukraine prompted the introduction of the affordable pass to ease the burden on commuters using local and regional transport. Following this, the Germany Ticket was introduced at a price of 49 Euro, which has since increased to 63 Euro. With the sustained increase in fuel and energy costs since the Iran conflict, there are currently renewed demands for relief measures for commuters, including discussions about a discount on the Germany Ticket.
Regarding these ongoing discussions, Palla reiterated her stance against bringing back the 9 Euro ticket. When asked if she would have preferred a reintroduction of the affordable pass instead of offering tax relief to drivers, the Bahn CEO responded with a definitive “No, I would not have wanted that”.
