Germany Ticket: Digital is Key

Whether on the smartphone or via chip card: One month after its launch, the new "Deutschlandticket" is used almost exclusively in digital form – this has been confirmed by a recent survey from the Digital Association Bitkom.

Representative Inquiry

1,002 people in Germany aged 16 and over were surveyed, including 384 who have either already purchased the "Deutschlandticket" or firmly intend to do so. According to the evaluation, half of Germans (51%) who have already bought or plan to buy the "Deutschlandticket" prefer an app. 41% prefer a chip card on which the ticket is digitally stored. Only 5% of respondents rely on a paper ticket – according to Bitkom, practically none among the 16 to 49-year-olds.

"The paper ticket is an obsolete model. The majority of Germans want to use buses and trains 'digital only'. The Deutschlandticket now offers the opportunity to accelerate the digital transformation of transport. We need to fundamentally move away from paper and towards digital tickets that can be used across all modes of transport," says Bitkom President Achim Berg.

Even when purchasing, the vast majority prefer a digital solution, as the representative Bitkom survey clearly shows. The most popular are the apps of regional transit associations (32%), followed by the websites of Deutsche Bahn or transit associations (29%), the Deutsche Bahn app (9%), or the apps "Dein Deutschlandticket" and "Deutschlandticket App" (8%).

Less than one in five (16%) rely on the classic counter, such as in Deutsche Bahn travel centers, when purchasing.

"Passengers want to be flexible when buying tickets and therefore prefer to use digital sales channels. The smartphone thus becomes a central mobility hub, which can also be used to network public transport with on-demand and sharing offers," explains the Bitkom President.

The industry association's conclusion – paper tickets at machines or counters are no longer contemporary. For the few travelers without a smartphone, there is an alternative with the chip card.