Germany's 9-Euro Train Tickets Scheme 'Saved 1.8 Million Tons of CO2 Emissions'

An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Guardian: Germany's three-month experiment with 9-euro tickets for a month's unlimited travel on regional train networks, trams and buses saved about 1.8 million tons of CO2 emissions, it has been claimed. Since its introduction on June 1 to cut fuel consumption and relieve a cost of living crisis, about 52 million tickets have been sold, a fifth of these to people who did not ordinarily use public transport. The scheme is due to end on Wednesday. The Association of German Transport Companies (VDV), which carried out the research, said the number of people who switched from cars to public transport as a result of the 9-euro ticket was behind the saving in emissions. "The popularity of the 9-euro tickets had been unabated and the positive effect on it in tackling climate change is verifiable," the VDV said. It said the emissions saved were equivalent to the powering of 350,000 homes, and a similar drop would be seen over the period of a year if Germany introduced a speed limit on its motorways. A typical passenger vehicle emits about 4.6 tons of carbon a year. The scheme is also believed to have helped keep inflation, currently at about 8%, slightly lower than it otherwise would have been. Additionally, the scheme "cut through swathes of complication ranging from myriad transport zones to ticket categories that differ greatly from region to region," reports The Guardian. "Just over 37% of people who bought the ticket used it to get to work, 50% used it for everyday journeys such as to go shopping or visit the doctor, 40% used it to visit people, and 33% used it for day trips." "The government and regional administrations are under huge pressure to continue the ticket in some form. The expectation is that any replacement would be priced at least six times higher, but surveys show enthusiasm for such a scheme is high."

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