Ludwig Erhard ifo Research Seminar Online (Sebastian Goerg)

The 9 EUR-Ticket – A nation-wide experiment: almost fare-free public transport for three months in Germany

In spring 2022, the German federal government offered in response to rising fuel and energy prices a discounted nationwide travel pass, the so-called 9 EUR-Ticket, and a fuel tax cut. Both measures were limited to the period from June to August. We observe this natural experiment with a three-wave survey and an app-based travel diary in the Munich metropolitan area. The three survey waves are conducted before, during and after the 9 EUR-ticket, while the app-based travel diary records participants’ daily mobility patterns from the end of May to the end of September. In total, 800 people use the app and participate in the survey, while further 400 people only participate in the survey. We find that people are using public transport more frequent, but that only 3 % of participants seem to systematically replace car trips by public transport trips. Nevertheless, 25 % of new public transport riders use public transport more than occasionally.