[ThePadawan]

If that thing is good, that's good.

Less sarcastically - this initiative was launched to reduce the fuel usage of German citizens because fuel prices are exploding and reserves are running low. Trains are operated electrically and can use alternate energy sources.

So yes - people were using the train more: Either as an alternative to their personal vehicle (for commuting, visiting friends, going shopping), or as an alternative to taking a plane (going on a holiday, even within Germany).

[iggldiggl]

If really this had been launched to "reduce the fuel usage of German citizens", they wouldn't have also reduced fuel taxes at the same time.

This simply came about because the government had to be seen doing something about the rising energy prices – the Liberals proposed temporarily lowering the gas taxes to score popularity points, but because they're in a coalition government with the Green party, the latter wanted something with a more ecological veneer, so after some horse-trading public transport users got thrown a bone, too.

[ThePadawan]

> If really this had been launched to "reduce the fuel usage of German citizens", they wouldn't have also reduced fuel taxes at the same time.

Not owning a car, it is my rough understanding that lowering the fuel tax just led to fuel distributors and gas stations keeping their prices the same to increase their profits.

So reducing the fuel tax was practically speaking a measure to subsidize oil companies, not humans, without realistically aiming to impact fuel usage.

[solarkraft]

GP got the reasoning a bit wrong, it's to lower the impact of the increased energy prices. As far as I'm aware the 9€-Ticket has had a decent lowering impact on measured inflation due to reduced transport costs.