ADAC survey: 9-euro ticket also brings club members to the tracks

The automobile club ADAC has drawn a largely positive balance of the 9-euro ticket, but sees more cons than pros with the fuel discount. In a press conference, ADAC Traffic President Gerhard Hillebrand presented a representative ADAC survey that reflects the opinions of drivers and focuses on those who are affected by high fuel prices and who were encouraged to switch to public transport through the 9-euro ticket.

One-third uses public transport more frequently

According to the survey, a majority of drivers express a positive view of the introduction of the subsidized public transport offer (42 percent), and at least one-third of the respondents used public transport more frequently in the past three months (32 percent). Nearly half of them purchased a 9-euro ticket for at least one month (48 percent), and 50 percent of users reported positive experiences.

Drivers predominantly used the inexpensive ticket for leisure trips (70 percent), with a quarter of respondents using it for commuting to work, roughly corresponding to the usual distribution of journey purposes. However, one in two was motivated by the 9-euro ticket to take additional trips. A clear majority supports the continuation of the subsidized offer (60 percent), with drivers placing more value on nationwide validity than on a low fare.

“The 9-euro ticket has brought many people, including many drivers, back to public transport. This is a major success following the hesitation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many have had positive experiences and want to continue using public transport more than before. The 9-euro ticket has contributed to social inclusion by making affordable mobility accessible to more people," said ADAC Traffic President Gerhard Hillebrand.

However, more important than the pure price discussion is the improvement of the offering, as many people, especially in rural areas, do not find a good offer, Hillebrand says. A nationwide valid and simple fare, as well as the expansion of train capacities and frequencies, are particularly important to increase the attractiveness of public transport for drivers. Public funds need to be primarily used here. This is significantly more important than ticket subsidization, according to the club’s perspective.”

Fuel discount: 45 percent already leave the car behind

For assessing the fuel discount, the club can refer to an additional survey from the spring to illustrate its effect. According to this, drivers are already foregoing journeys in large numbers to save energy and costs. Currently, 45 percent of respondents partially leave their cars behind. However, this number has decreased by 4 percent compared to the spring. ADAC explains this partly by the generally increasing (travel) mobility in the summer months. On the other hand, drivers seem to have somewhat adjusted to the high fuel prices. Not least, the fuel discount has also contributed to reducing cost pressure.

Fuel-efficient driving is becoming more widespread

A similar picture emerges when drivers are asked about their driving behavior. A large portion of respondents (47 percent) is already adjusting their driving style to save fuel, but even here, the number is slightly declining. For the automobile club, this means that while a continuation of the fuel discount might seem desirable from a consumer perspective, it would not sufficiently support the need to save energy in the expected energy shortage in the autumn.

“We must find better ways to relieve the population. Therefore, we propose focusing direct relief in the mobility sector on those particularly affected, i.e., commuters, and call for increasing the travel allowance for commuting to 38 cents from the first kilometer. Beyond that, relief measures should be implemented outside the mobility sector to comprehensively address the broad impact on people regarding heating, electricity, and fuels," said Hillebrand.

According to ADAC, the fuel discount has led to lower prices. "However, the tax reduction has not been fully passed on to consumers," criticized the traffic president. And in recent days, the oil industry has already padded its prices once again. In the past 14 days alone, fuel prices have risen by an average of 6.8 cents for E10 and 15 cents for diesel nationwide, according to the club.

“The oil industry is called upon to use the scope for lower fuel prices, and the government must promptly conduct a sector investigation in the refinery and wholesale fuel market to ensure competition in the oil market in Germany.”

The ADAC survey was conducted between August 11 and 16, 2022. A total of 1,661 drivers aged 18 and over, who drive at least 10 days a year themselves, were surveyed.