The President wants it and the government will activate it. For more than a year, Emmanuel Macron's government has been dithering over the benefits or otherwise of a single-price ticket for the use of regional trains. It would be inspired by the model launched by Germany - with the ticket at €9 during the summer. Since 1 May 2023, Germans have been able to acquire the Deutschlandticket. Sold for €49 for one month, it allows you to travel on all regional rail lines. But also on all the country's public transport companies.
According to initial surveys in Germany based on the mobility of users via their mobile phones, the €49 ticket is having a visible impact. In its third edition on mobility, the telecommunications company O2 Telefónica (44 million subscribers) analyses mobility behaviour in Germany since the introduction of the Deutschlandticket. The analysis covers journeys of 30 km or more.
The positive effects of the Deutschlandticket
Since the introduction of the ticket, there has been a marked increase in train journeys of more than 30 kilometres. The Deutschlandticket is attracting more passengers onto trains: 170,000 additional passengers per day since May 2023. While the number of daily train passengers averaged 1.77 million in 2019, the year before Covid, it fell to 1.94 million today.
In June, the number of close trips was more than a quarter higher than in April. Rail's share of passenger transport increased by around 2.5 percentage points compared with the period prior to the introduction of the €49 ticket. This represents a "perceptible shift from road to rail", according to O2 Telefónica. The number of daily home/work car journeys fell by 11.8%.
According to the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV), thehe €49 ticket was used by just over 9.6 million passengers in June (as at 20 June). The VDV estimates that 17 million people will buy a Deutschlandticket in the future.
A rail pass possibly modelled on the German model
This trend could therefore be repeated in France. It has already been talked about for several months in government circles. Such a package would have an impact on mobility budgets and theenvironment. According to the Ministry of Transport, aA ticket costing around €49 per month is likely to be launched in 2024, before the summer..
According to Clément Beaune, Minister Delegate for Transport, in an interview, "French people, whatever their age, will be able to buy this [future] rail pass and travel on Intercité or TER trains, with unlimited travel, for a single low price". As in Germany, the TGV and Ouigo would not be affected.
The Minister says he hopes to integrate the local public transport offer. Discussions are due to start in September with the regions.. There will undoubtedly be political objections to its application - in particular its funding. In Germany, the measure is costing the federal government and the Länder €3 billion.
