[AMcWhirter]

Last summer Germany made the headlines with a Euros 9 travel pass which provided unlimited public transport for one whole month.

It was valid within metro areas and on slower regional trains linking towns and cities (but not on faster IC and ICE services).

Good news today is that the pass returns from January 2023.

Yes it is pricier at Euros 49 for one month but for those readers spending some time in Germany and travelling between towns and cities it will provide savings.

(I am not suggesting readers take slower trains between towns and cities etc but even if used for metro journeys and airport-downtown travel there will be a saving).

Unlimited regional public transport across Germany will cost €49/month next year.

The digital 'Deutschlandticket' will be available on a monthly basis from January.

Aim of the '€49-Ticket' is to cut C02 emissions and help people with the cost of living. pic.twitter.com/Wz9DbM2xfw

— German Embassy London (@GermanEmbassy) November 3, 2022

[FormerBA]

Further progressive policies form Europe’s leading economy. A nations that has had just 9 chancellors since WWII including the incumber.

Meanwhile in Britain we have had 5 PMs since 2010.

Only main stream political stability delivers economic growth and development.

1 user thanked author for this post.

AnthonyDunn

[LuganoPirate]

It is a great idea, but not applicable to the fast ICE trains. However for non residents a number of passes are available. Brit Rail in the UK, or Eurail for most of Europe. These can be for so many days of free travel in a month, to a full monthly pass covering the whole of Europe. There are also country specific passes as well and all offer great value. For example 15 days in 1st for EUR 590 or 2nd for EUR 443.

This is really a bargain and if having to travel round Europe offers city centre to city centre travel, is much cheaper than air fares (especially if taking into account getting to/from the airport) and ticks the ecology box!

https://www.eurail.com/en/eurail-passes

3 users thanked author for this post.

Jacob, AMcWhirter, Johnnyg

[AnthonyDunn]

Appreciably more expensive but an opportunity to experience some mind-boggling Swiss rail engineering and utterly breathtaking scenery – whether in mid-Winter or mid-Summer – is the Swiss rail pass which prices between GBP219 (349) for three days to GBP 405 (637) for 15 days in Second class or (First class).

Sadly, the last overseas trip with Senior Management after she had come off her Erasmus Rotterdam drug trial and before she went onto another experimental drug combo at UCLH Macmillan in London was a superb trip around the Swiss Alps by train including the legendary Glacier Express and the Bernina Express. Little did we know (late January 2020) just how close we were to a C-19 catastrophe that was unfolding in northern Italy and that she would never come out of lockdown. This really was the trip of a lifetime and I can thoroughly recommend spending some time exploring the byways of Switzerland by train.

[BugAdvisor]

@FormerBA: Whilst I support the travel pass initiative and agree the UK is a shambles, I’d hardly call Germany a model of progressive policies. Perhaps you’re referring to Germany’s decision to outsource their energy production to Russia in order to meet their green quotas? Or, perhaps you mean Merkel’s migrants policies. Those both went well didn’t they?

1 user thanked author for this post.

DannyBoy

[DannyBoy]

TFL gives free travel for anyone 60 and over on all trains tube, bus and local bus journeys nationally. Also with UK train services you can get discounts of up to a 1/3 off fares with railcards such as young persons, disabled, elderly, military etc.

It does make me wonder if we ever saw a socialist govt return to power how long it would be before we saw a return to a full renationalization of the railways and if they would ever adopt such a scheme as the Germans.

[AMcWhirter]

[quote quote=1244496]TFL gives free travel for anyone 60 and over on all trains tube, bus and local bus journeys nationally.[/quote]

Tfl is indeed generous to Londoners although, during Tfl’s funding crisis, travel must now be off-peak.

Londoners can use their passes for local bus travel nationwide (provided they meet the local age and travel restrictions).

However similar concessions do not apply throughout the remainder of the UK.

Councils elsewhere tend to provide/accept passes only when one reaches state pension age (currently 66 years) and *may* not cover local rail travel unless one pays a reduced rail fare or a pass surcharge.

So local buses can be used off-peak but not necessarily local trains or trams (without paying a reduced fare).

Two examples:

Manchester

https://tfgm.com/tickets-and-passes/travel-pass-for-older-people

Newcastle

https://www.newcastle.gov.uk/services/care-and-support/adults/help-get-out-and-about/concessionary-travel-older-or-disabled

2 users thanked author for this post.

Johnnyg, DannyBoy

[openfly]

Londoners over 60 can use the Freedom pass for England-wide free travel on buses. The rest of the U.K. has to wait until pension age (67) for their free travel. Verrrry unfair!
Sitting on a local bus having to pay the fare, while a Londoner 7 years younger sits on the same bus for free!!

1 user thanked author for this post.

Amanda

[AMcWhirter]

Thanks openfly for pointing this out.

When I tried using my London Freedom pass at 60+ years I was rebuffed by a bus driver in the North of England.

After that experience I waited until I was state pensionable age and now I have no problems.

Maybe for obvious reasons the local Councils (outside London) do not explain that Londoners are exempt from the rules (regarding bus use) for local residents !

[AMcWhirter]

LuganoPirate, in a posting above, makes reference to the Interrail pass.

It is indeed great value if you plan on making a lot of rail travel within mainland Europe, noting that it is also valid with Eurostar.

However to get the best out of the pass you need to know how European trains work and one also needs to be aware that some networks require reservations for their faster trains. This *could* mean operators in question restrict availability at busy times.

For example both Eurostar, Thalys and SNCF (for its TGVs) require a reservation. These have to be made via the train operator.

Reservations cost around Euros 25 to 35 depending on distance and class of travel.

Note that a first class pass does not allow access to the best onboard product.

So a first class pass with Eurostar allows access to Standard Premier but not Business Premier.

However Interrail pass sales have never been higher.

Germany’s Tagesschau reports today that 600,000 Interrail passes have been sold this year.

Of these no fewer than 142,000 passes were bought from Deutsche Bahn.

That’s probably because DB does not require pass holders to make a reservation for its ICE trains.

Die Zahl der verkauften #Interrail-Tickets in #Europa ist in diesem Jahr auf den Rekordwert von etwa 600.000 gestiegen. An der Spitze liegt #Deutschland mit 142.000. Die Zahl der verkauften Tickets hat sich im Vergleich zu 2019 fast verdoppelt. #Bahnhttps://t.co/fsoqKROzk7

— Matthias Gastel (@MatthiasGastel) November 14, 2022

[AMcWhirter]

German Embassy in London was too optimstic when saying the pass would be launched in January.

Today DW is saying is will “arrive sometime by April 2023.

A few more details are provided in this video clip.

The 49-Euro ticket, also called the "Deutschlandticket," is expected to arrive sometime by April 2023. Here's what we currently know about the successor to the popular 9-Euro ticket.⁠ pic.twitter.com/0BNY8ELK0l

— DW Culture (@dw_culture) December 1, 2022

[ImissConcorde]

I buy my Senior Railcard with £10 of Tesco Clubcard points (until my OH goes back to annual season ticket when he can get it for £10!)

[Author]

Posts