Editor in chief at IamExpat Media
As the presale for the much-anticipated 9-euro ticket finally kicked off, Deutsche Bahn and transport associations in Germany were swamped with demand.
9-euro tickets were on sale across Germany as of Monday morning, and enthusiasm for the discounted pass for public transport was, as expected, enormous. Deutsche Bahn reported that it sold around 50.000 tickets via digital channels on Monday morning alone, with demand via the internet so high that its website was repeatedly overloaded and slow.
In Berlin and Brandenburg, where the tickets have been on sale for three days now, over 130.000 passes have already been bought. So many people were trying to get the tickets via their mobile phones that the BVG app became overloaded and stopped displaying people’s transport passes. The operator has asked for patience while it resolves the issue.
Hamburg began selling the tickets on Friday afternoon. Within the first 24 hours, more than 56.000 tickets had been sold via app and online, according to the Hamburger Verkehrsbund.
The special ticket offers a month’s worth of unlimited travel on regional transport across Germany for just 9 euros and will be available for three months this summer.
To cope with the extra demand, Deutsche Bahn’s regional subsidiary, DB Regio, has announced that it will slightly increase capacity in regional transport from June. “DB Regio is letting over 50 additional trains roll for the expected increase in the number of passengers from June 1,” a spokesperson said. The trains will primarily be used along tourist routes.
“We are preparing and are literally moving everything we have - trains, buses and service staff,” said boss Jörg Sandvoẞ, adding that supply could become overstretched if the demand is too great. “Above all, taking bicycles with you cannot always be guaranteed, especially since many excursions are spontaneous and depend on the weather,” he said.
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