Germany’s 9€ ticket: A potential solution for urban-mobility issues

In response to rising fuel prices, Germany’s government recently offered a discounted nationwide travel pass for use on public transportation—the so-called 9€ ticket. After paying a monthly flat-rate fee of just €9, consumers can travel on all regional and local transportation networks, including inner-city public transport, during the months of June, July, and August.

To gauge consumer perceptions of Germany’s new 9€ ticket, as well as the behavioral shifts following its introduction, McKinsey surveyed more than 500 consumers across the country in the third week of June 2022 as part of the regular McKinsey Mobility Consumer Pulse Check Survey.¹ According to the survey, more than 40 percent of German respondents have already bought the 9€ ticket, while a further 20 percent plan to do so in July 2022. Most of the people who had purchased the tickets use public transport on a weekly basis; potential purchasers are more likely to be occasional users. Many people bought a ticket because they were curious about using public transport for trips that would normally involve other transportation modes. Others, especially those who do not use public transport regularly, liked the convenience of paying a flat rate for mobility.