Lifestyle

The 9-Euro-Ticket

9-Euro-Ticket_2
© Chris Andrews

The 9-Euro-Ticket. What is it for? Who can use it? Where and when can you buy one?

The 9-Euro-Ticket is almost upon us. Starting 1st June 2022, it will be possible to travel on local public transport with a monthly ticket costing just €9. Yes that’s right, just €9 for a ticket entitling you to travel all day long, every day for a month, throughout Germany, travelling by bus, tram, underground and on regional trains (not on IC, ICE and EC trains). The promotional period extends through the months of July and August, when the 9-Euro-Ticket will also be available.

First of all, this measure from the 2022 relief package reads as a major, albeit temporary, relief for many commuters due to the high prices for petrol and diesel. The 9-Euro-Ticket for buses and trains can be seen as a discount for local public transport (ÖPNV). The idea behind it is simple: Customers should be able to use buses and trains for 90 days for €9 a month.

When will the 9-Euro-Ticket be available, and from where?
As things stand at present, advance sales will probably be available online around 21st May. 

The 9-Euro-Ticket will be available via the VGN App Fahrplan & Tickets, the Nürnberg Mobil App and the DB Navigator. From the VGN online shop, you can get the 9-Euro-Ticket by mail order. Additional analogue sales channels such as ticket vending machines and in customer centres are being prepared. Ticket machines will not provide sales before 1st June.

Where and when can I use the promotional ticket?
The 9-Euro-Ticket is valid for one month for each calendar month: June, July, and August. It allows the holder mobility throughout the day on buses, trams, underground and overground regional trains nationwide. It is not valid on long-distance services (e.g. ICE/IC/EC). Some on-demand services, such as AST and Rufbus, will charge additional fees. The 9-Euro-Ticket will be valid from the first to the last day of each month, June, July, and August. If the ticket is bought after the first day of the month, it is still valid only until the end of that month.

Will local public transport capacities be increased?
During the promotional period, train capacities will only be increased to a very limited extent. It is therefore expected that overcrowding may occur at certain times.

Can I take my dog and bike with me or travel 1st class?
If you take your bike or dog on your journey, an extra charge will be made based on the normal fares (usually equal to the cost of a child’s fare for a dog or a bike).

Traveling 1st class with the 9-Euro-Ticket is not possible, and there will be no chance to upgrade by paying a surcharge.

As a subscriber, how do I benefit from the offer?
According to the VGN, if you’ve already purchased a monthly or similar ticket, you will be refunded for the period concerned. Conditions applying to the ticket, such as the area or route for which it is valid, will remain. Time restrictions on travel cards will be lifted for the duration of the offer (June, July and August).

How do students benefit from the offer?
Existing semester tickets will, in all likelihood, be valid as a Germany-wide, all-day ticket for the period of the 9-Euro-Ticket (June to August). Possible refund solutions are being planned for the basic ticket and the semester ticket. If students have already bought such a ticket, they will be put on an equal footing and the corresponding fee reimbursed.

Possible solutions are currently being worked on for students at the universities of Bayreuth and Bamberg.

How do pupils and trainees benefit from the offer?
The 365-Euro-Ticket VGN is valid as a Germany-wide, all-day ticket for the period of the 9-Euro-Ticket (June to August), provided that the existing ticket covers this period. Tokens for school children do not count as a 9-Euro-Ticket.

What about my monthly season ticket that is still valid for June?
The regular price for the period of validity of the monthly season ticket (Solo31, MobiCard, …) applies here. After that/additionally, a 9-Euro-Ticket can be purchased for June. The monthly season ticket does not count as a 9-Euro-Ticket. The regulations on refunds according to the VGN tariff apply.

Details regarding the 9-Euro-Ticket were obtained from the VGN website and are subject to change.

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