The incentive is part of country’s efforts to reduce its reliance on automobiles.
Germans are handing over their driving licences in exchange for free public transport.
Thousands of people in North Rhine-Westphalia, a populous western German state, have surrendered their driving licences to authorities as part of a scheme designed to reduce the car-loving country’s reliance on automobiles.
Originally aimed at senior citizens, the incentive enables people to surrender their driving licences for a year’s free public transport, known as the “Deutschlandticket.” The ticket, which normally costs €49 (£41) a month, allows holders to travel on all local transport across Germany, including regional trains.
In Leverkusen, near Cologne, nearly 600 people over the age of 75 have opted into the scheme so far, saving them just under £500 on public transport for the year. The benefits of the scheme vary from state to state. Leverkusen pioneered the initiative in 2023, with other Rhineland areas such as Dortmund, Kleve, and the former capital Bonn following suit this year.
Public transport is a heated political issue in Germany, as its car industry makes up around 5 per cent of GDP.
The Deutschlandticket was established in 2023 as a permanent replacement for the “nine euro ticket”, which aimed to help citizens with the cost of living crisis by charging passengers only €9 per month to travel on local and regional transport throughout Germany.
The regional transport association, Rhein-Sieg, hailed the scheme as “a valuable alternative for people who want to be mobile and want to part with their driving licences for age or health reasons,” as well as for climate reasons.
The initiative was welcomed by the state’s climate and transport ministry but was entirely funded by local councils. Public transport is a heated political issue in Germany, with the Handelsblatt newspaper comparing it to discussing gun control in the US.
Germany’s car industry makes up around 5 per cent of GDP, and the country is one of the few in the world without a speed limit on its famous autobahns.
Other European cities are watching the scheme with ultimate plans of their own. The C40 city group, a collection of city Mayors who have gone rogue and govern according to WEF rules, are said to be watching the scheme with interest. At the moment the scheme is voluntary, but C40 cities would likely make the scheme compulsory.
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I'll bet that little shitbag Sad Dick Khunt is already salivating over this with plans to extort yet more money to prop up the bankrupt TfL.