Nuremberg VAG is satisfied with the start of sales of the 9 Euro ticket

Will VAG increase the staff for this? “There are no opportunities to use employees beyond our regular team,” answers Seitzinger. After all, all work is a qualified activity that cannot be acquired overnight.

And what about the trains and the timing – will the VAG increase here because of the expected rush? “We’ll have to wait and see.” It is difficult to estimate how often and when the holders will actually use the discounted ticket in the end.

In addition: “We currently have about 80 percent of passengers compared to pre-corona.” In this respect, the trains still offer capacity on the inside, says Seitzinger. VAG could not serve with more trains and a tighter clocking: “We already have all available vehicles in use at certain times of the day. We can’t top up here.” Internally, they have examined all possibilities, but they are limited. The lead time for the procurement of vehicles is about a year, even for buses.

To avoid too full trains and buses, the VAG advises the following:

• Avoid professional and school traffic: between 7 and 8 o’clock on weekdays, as well as between 13 and 13.30 o’clock.
• If one train is too full, take the next one.

It was an exciting time, Seitzinger explains further. There has never been a comparable action before – and then there is this extremely short lead-up.

From 1 June, the ticket will also be available at Nuremberg ticket machines. According to Seitzinger, the lead time was extremely short here. The transport company was not able to update the software from now on. The update for the software has now been announced for next week.

However, there is no reason for haste when buying tickets, emphasizes Seitzinger. There is no danger that the ticket could be sold out soon. “It’s super cheap, but we sell as many of them as customers want to buy.” It is therefore also sufficient if travelers buy their ticket in the app immediately before starting their journey. The 9-Euro ticket is valid from 1 June.

According to Seitzinger, all those who already use a season ticket at VAG do not have to do anything else. So customers with an annual subscription, annual subscription Plus, company subscription, company subscription Plus, 3- or 6-month subscription – depending on the start of the subscription contract, students with free travel or students as well as trainees with a 365 Euro ticket as well as students with a semester basic ticket. If you already have a subscription, you automatically pay the discounted price and can use your ticket nationwide.

With the special tickets, passengers can travel throughout Germany for 9 euros in the respective valid month in public passenger transport (ÖPNV). This means that you can use all local and regional trains as well as buses, trams, subways and suburban trains.

The monthly tickets can be booked for June, July and August. Flexible four-week periods, however, are not possible. The tickets are only valid in 2nd class and are not transferable. Children up to the age of six do not need their own ticket. If you want to take your bike with you, on the other hand, you have to buy an extra ticket.