The measure is being introduced in order to help the population offset the cost of household bills, amid the backdrop of rising inflation, which reached 10% in September. Wessing stated that the nuts and bolts of how the project would be funded still needed to be agreed between Berlin and the regions, noting that the state was willing to put "€1.5 billion on the table (…) with the goal of making the ticket available for purchase from January 1st 2023.

This initiative will replace the €9 monthly unlimited rides ticket that was brough in this past summer in German, which was a huge success, with 52 million total subscriptions taken out between June and August.

"The €9 ticket was used during off-peak hours especially, for example for shopping, leisure activities and excursions," noted Berlin-based transport company BVG. The ticket unsurprisingly proved popular with city dwellers, given that a monthly travel pass normally costs €86 in Berlin and €115 in Hamburg. This monthly ticket, like the €9 ticket, will provide access to all public transport in Germany, with the exception of high-speed trains.

Pending the launch of the new ticket, the Berlin municipality has been offering its own version since the beginning of October: a monthly subscription of €29 valid for all buses, trams and trains in the city.

Public transport “climate ticket”

A study of air quality over the summer conducted by the University of Potsdam’s Center for Economic Policy Analysis showed a "substantial fall in the air quality index of more than 6%," author Niklas Gohl told CNN, adding "most pronounced in urban agglomerations and areas with a strong public transport network." To promote more sustainable means of transportation helps to reduce air pollution.

Germany has been taking the lead in reducing transport-related pollution in recent years. On August 24th, one week before the end of the €9 monthly ticket, the Lower Saxony region launched a new service which replaces diesel trains along a 100 km route with 14 hydrogen-fueled trains.