Many Germans are looking forward to it: With the 9-euro monthly ticket, the federal government wants to relieve consumers and strengthen local public transport for three months, demand is likely to be high. Now a date for the ticket sale has been set – if the law is decided by then. Money is still being argued about.

Bavaria, for example, is threatening to block the upcoming vote on the 9-euro monthly ticket in the Bundesrat. “If the federal government believes that it can be applauded on the back of the federal states for a three-month consolation and that others should pay the bill, then it has been hugely mistaken,” said Bavaria’s Minister of Transport Christian Bernreiter (CSU) of the German Press Agency in Munich.

If the federal government does not fully compensate for the costs of the ticket and does not significantly increase the regionalization funds as promised in the coalition agreement, it will run into a wall in the Bundesrat. “Under the current conditions, I don’t see Bavaria being able to approve the law in the Bundesrat. A real relief for the citizens would be a permanent strengthening of local public transport through more federal funds for a better offer,” emphasized Bernreiter.

The special tickets are part of the relief package from the traffic light coalition because of the high energy prices. At the same time, it should be a taster offer to win more customers for buses and trains.

According to Deutsche Bahn, the exact process – if an agreement is reached – looks like this: From the start of sales on May 23, the ticket will then be available via the DB Navigator app and all other digital railway channels, like the group announced on Sunday. “It will also be available at around 5,500 Deutsche Bahn ticket machines and in over 400 DB travel centers in train stations,” it said. The tickets are apparently not available at the counter or from the conductor, presumably to prevent a rush.

According to Deutsche Bahn, the 9-euro ticket will always be valid from the first to the last day of each month. So if you only access it in the middle of the month, you can only drive around with it for the remaining half of the month. From the start of sales on May 23, it should be possible to buy tickets for all three months at the same time.