Millions snap up new Germany-wide public transit ticket

Post by bahnkenner » Tue, May 02, 2023, 9:37 AM UTC

poulsbohemian wrote: post #239

bahnkenner wrote: post #43

The biggest advantage of the new Germany-wide ticket is not the price, but rather that it simplifies things. This is a map of German public transit companies: [0]. I've heard the current fractured system be compared to the Holy Roman Empire. Every little region has its own ticketing system. If you arrive in a new city, you have to figure out how to buy local transit tickets, often with quite complicated rules (e.g.,…

Your comment is a fascinating take on perspective . To you it's a fractured, difficult system. To this American, it has been absolutely futuristic every time I've been there. Wish we could get such an awful system anywhere near where I live.

Post by mejutoco » Tue, May 02, 2023, 10:08 AM UTC

carlmr wrote: post #359

mejutoco wrote: post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The announcement mentions you do need it when announcing the stop. By then it is prob too late, though. If you use the bvg app it tells you which ticket you need for any destination, but non-locals might not know that.

>If you use the bvg app it tells you which ticket you need for any destination, but non-locals might not know that. I don't know the BVG app, but if you're not regularly in some city installing an app, finding out how it works, adding your payment info is a huge hassle. We need a single app for all German transit, that is well designed. Instead of hundreds or thousands of apps for every city and village. What I also…

Post by illiac786 » Tue, May 02, 2023, 10:13 AM UTC

mcspiff wrote: post #187

ghaff wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And for visitors who may not even speak the primary language, public transit is awful in most places in terms of onboarding jet lagged visitors. Apparently no one does UX trials of people who have zero familiarity with the system and don't speak the language--though at least they maybe accommodate major Western languages. But, in general, it's pretty awful and you at least should do some research in advance.

I will given Berlin credit here — after checking in to our accommodations (took a taxi from the airport), I poked a ticket machine, quickly saw the Union Jack flag and got the machine into English. Couple minutes later we had our 1 week passes in hand. In general I found the system very approachable, using google maps for route planning.

Post by ChuckNorris89 » Tue, May 02, 2023, 10:35 AM UTC

konschubert wrote: post #137

buran77 wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The healthcare and social service systems would not be able to function without the mandatory and voluntary unpaid 9 months work of the 17 - 19 year olds before they hit off for university. Interesting take. Is there any supporting official position on this or just personal opinion? If true I find it very scary that a country's health and social services systems would crumble were it not for the 3 months per year t…

That's a false dichotomy. It's not: Do we get a million teenagers or not? There is a third option: Let those teenagers join the workforce, use the revenue from the increased societal productivity to hire more professional workers in the health care system.

Post by bakuninsbart » Tue, May 02, 2023, 10:46 AM UTC

mcspiff wrote: post #187

ghaff wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And for visitors who may not even speak the primary language, public transit is awful in most places in terms of onboarding jet lagged visitors. Apparently no one does UX trials of people who have zero familiarity with the system and don't speak the language--though at least they maybe accommodate major Western languages. But, in general, it's pretty awful and you at least should do some research in advance.

I will given Berlin credit here — after checking in to our accommodations (took a taxi from the airport), I poked a ticket machine, quickly saw the Union Jack flag and got the machine into English. Couple minutes later we had our 1 week passes in hand. In general I found the system very approachable, using google maps for route planning.