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In a world increasingly aware of the environmental impact of carbon emissions, Germany and Austria have taken a significant step towards promoting eco-friendly transportation. They have introduced a single transport ticket system that covers the entire country, encouraging citizens to opt for public transport over private vehicles.
In May this year, Germany introduced the Deutschland-Ticket, a single ticket that encourages people to shift from private cars to public transport due to its affordability and convenience. Reiserer, who is in charge of mobility at Greenpeace, believes that this ticket is an effective way to reduce the environmental impact of cars, which account for 12% of CO2 emissions in Europe.
Other European countries are also implementing similar measures. For instance, Austria launched the KlimaTicket in October 2021. This pass allows unlimited travel on all local and regional transport in the nine federal provinces for an annual subscription of 1,095 euros (or 821 euros for young people). This initiative is seen as more than just a public transport ticket; it’s a step towards achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees.
Greenpeace in Spain has launched the ‘T-leva’ campaign, inspired by similar initiatives in Germany and Austria, aiming to establish a single public transport pass for 30 euros per year. This comes as discounts on urban and interurban transport passes, introduced due to rising inflation, are set to end on December 31. Cristina Arjona, head of mobility for Greenpeace, believes this measure will be a positive step towards reducing emissions in transport.
A very relevant climate impact
The measure, financed 50% by the federal government and 50% by the regions, demonstrated that promoting public transportation diverts the use of private vehicles and therefore has a very relevant impact on the reduction of CO2 emissions.
In Germany, the Deutschland-Ticket, priced at 49 euros, succeeded the nine-euro bill, a special measure activated in the summer of 2022 that proved to be a huge success. This measure, funded equally by the federal government and the regions, demonstrated that promoting public transportation can reduce the use of private vehicles and significantly cut CO2 emissions.
A government-commissioned study found that 10% of trips made with the nine-euro bill replaced car journeys, avoiding 1.8 million tonnes of CO2 emissions. Oliver Wolff, General Director of the Association of Transport Companies, equated this to the CO2 savings from a year of speed limits on motorways.
The Deutschland-Ticket will now be valid until 2025. Preliminary studies show similar results, with 8% of journeys replacing car travel. However, the reduction in emissions is less than expected due to the higher price. The Federal Environment Agency predicts that this unique pass will reduce emissions by between 0.5 and 0.6 million tons of CO2 annually.
Public transport replaced car journeys
Implementing these measures has proven to be a complex task, particularly in terms of management and financing. In Austria, the federal government and train operators required a two-year negotiation after replacing 85% of car journeys with public transport in the first few months of its implementation." French President Emmanuel Macron has recently expressed interest in implementing a similar measure in regions that are willing.
In Germany, the higher-than-expected cost of the initiative is currently under review. Greenpeace in Spain has proposed several ways to finance a single subscription, which they estimate would cost around 2 billion euros. These include levying taxes on kerosene in airplanes, which is currently a fossil fuel exempt from taxation, or increasing taxes on hydrocarbons in general.
More countries are adopting similar measures. Hungary launched its single ticket on the same day as Germany, May 1, 2023, for an identical price of 49 euros per month, with a 90% discount for students. Unlike Germany, the pass is also valid for tourists. Portugal has offered a pass for 49 euros since August, but it only covers train travel and does not include urban or interurban public transport.
Investing in rail
Investing in rail transport is a strategic move to reduce people’s reliance on cars and planes, especially considering that a quarter of all European aviation sector emissions come from flights shorter than 1,500 km. For example, the Frankfurt-Berlin route, one of the busiest in Europe and Germany, emits 12 times more CO2 than a train journey that takes no more than four hours.
Greenpeace's 2021 report on European trains and railway development states that public policy has neglected the rail sector compared to the aviation sector." It currently accounts for less than 7% of all passenger transport volumes in the European Union. Greenpeace advocates for the elimination of short domestic flights and the promotion of alternative railway options for journeys lasting six hours or less.
Austria has taken significant steps in this direction. Since October 2021, Austrians have been able to use all public and private transportation for just 3 euros a day (or €1,095 annually) with the Klimaticket. They will spend more than $18.5 billion on rail alone between 2022 and 2027.
Austria aims to reduce private car use by 16% by 2040 and has invested $244 million in this project so far. The country plans to spend an additional $153 million annually on promoting carbon-free modes of transportation.
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