[ICYMI] Germany hopes to help climate with discount travel card
Touting the monthly pass as a"revolution", policymakers hope it will bring some relief for consumers amid soaring inflation, and encourage people to favour mass transit in the name of the environment.
The association of German transport companies expects 16 million of the country's 84 million inhabitants to take up the offer. Roughly 750,000 tickets have been sold already, without counting people who will switch over from their current transport subscriptions. The expenditure has come in for heavy criticism from the opposition, who argue the money could have been used to"improve and renovate rail infrastructure", in the words of conservative parliamentarian Michael Donth.
Interest in the pass was understandably great, with 52 million people signing up for the offer. But operators struggled to manage the stampede. Similarly, getting people to abandon their cars to use public transport is often easier said than done. The 49-euro ticket will particularly benefit"urban residents who already have a more expensive subscription", transport expert Oliver Wittig told AFP.In Spain, free passes for local and regional trains were launched in September to try and get residents to leave their cars at home and ease the pressure from inflation.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
UK arranges extra evacuation flight from Port Sudan on MondayThe flight follows the evacuation of 2,122 people on 23 flights from an airfield near Khartoum.
Read more »
War on crime | Thousands of wardens to be deployed in GautengThousands of Crime Prevention Wardens will be placed in Gauteng hotspots from Monday.
Read more »
Sudan: Final UK evacuation flights departThe two 'exceptional' evacuation flights had taken off from Port Sudan earlier on Monday evening.
Read more »
Bucs Loanee Dents Chiefs' Push For Second Spot | Soccer LadumaSafety For Swallows, Chiefs Remain Fourth! Kaizer Chiefs' hopes of securing a top-two finish suffered another blow after losing 2-1 to Soweto rivals Swallows FC on Monday afternoon. SLSiya MORE:
Read more »