[jonp888]

> Didn’t this start as unlimited anywhere for 9 euros no strings attached?

The €9 ticket was a 3 month temporary offer, which was not originally intended to continue permanently at all.

> I LOVE the German transit system (although Denmark wins in cleanliness). However, Germany is a bit predatory with this new system. You can ONLY purchase this ticket as a subscription model. If you’re a tourist, you must cancel before the 10th of the month or you get auto rebilled.

The ticket is subsidised by the German government(beyond the amount that all rail infrastructure and most services are subsidised) for the purpose what is covered in the article - encouraging permanent modal shift of regular travellers(primarily commuters) from road to rail. If you're a tourist, it's not meant for you. Sorry.

[sadcherry]

Airtravel is also subsidised by the German tax payer. Much more than the 49 EUR ticket. No matter if you are a tourist or not. (Arguably mostly for tourists actually.)

[jacooper]

How is it subsidized while a local flight costs more than an international one?

The idea is to push people to use the train, but a train isn't an alternative if it takes 9 hours compared to the 2 hour flight.

[sadcherry]

ICE from Hamburg to Munich is about 5 hours. That's basically the other end of the country. Not sure where 9 hours come from.

And your 2 hour flight easily goes to 4-5 hours if you add the security theatre and the extra overhead that transport to/from the airport entails. They are far outside the city whereas central stations are usually in the city center.

[kristianp]

What's the method of subsidy there? Contributing to Airbus shares?

[echoangle]

Commercial aviation fuel is tax exempt in the EU, I would already count that as a subsidy (yes, I count not taxing something that's normally taxed as a subsidy, even if it isn't done by directly paying out money).

[Qwertious]

Subsidising airports and fuel, presumably.

[lispm]

> If you're a tourist, it's not meant for you. Sorry.

Tourist&foreigners can use the Deutschlandticket, too.

But: it's a monthly subscription automatically renewing every month, so one has to cancel it early enough when planning to leave the country. You'll also typically need a smartphone for the ticket.

[dietr1ch]

Well, on mobile they make you think you need the app, but it's region locked. I happened to email them about how this is annoying for tourists yesterday and got a very German response,

"Downloading the Deutschlandticket.de app from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store is only possible in certain countries." (ikr, it's THE problem)

[layer8]

The problem may be that if they offer the app in foreign regions, they are liable to the jurisdiction of those foreign regions.

[Aeolun]

Is a response repeating the thing you just concluded in your mail to them very german?

[Zak]

A factual, but entirely unhelpful response to a customer service query is very German.

[lispm]

The ticket is available by other apps, too.