Ticket to ride: Germany eyes public transit revolution

BERLIN (AP) — Germany wants to introduce a public transit pass that costs 49 euros ($47) a month and will be valid nationwide. The proposal follows on from a wildly successful “9-euro ticket” in Germany for three months this summer as part of efforts to help people switch to environmentally friendly transport. One of its biggest attractions for users is that it will valid on all the country’s regional transport networks, each of which have myriad fare options that many find baffling. The federal government has offered to subsidize the new ticket with 1.5 million euros. States have expressed a willingness to do the same, pending an agreement on federal funding for regional train services.