America is the country of the car. The entire nation is optimized for daily use of the car, making other modes of transportation unprofitable and ineffective. In Germany, over a fourth of the country uses the ÖPNV and Fernverkehr (public transportation) daily, replacing about 20 million car trips. In 2023, people used public transportation a total of 10.8 billion times. But how accessible is it, how expensive is it, how crowded is it, what is it used for, why is it way more popular in Germany, and is it truly never on time?
Public transportation, specifically the Öffentlicher Personen NahVerkehr and the Fernverkehr, is nearly everywhere. The underground, the tram, and the buses are everywhere. The buses cover smaller cities and towns (even the most rural), while the rails run all over the country. Although the coverage varies from region to region and depends on how close you are to bigger cities, the ÖPNV and Fernverkehr are fairly accessible for everyone.
In 2024, a single bus ride costs about 3.20 €, driving 3 stations with tram/underground in Berlin costs 2.40€, and train tickets vary depending on the type of train and route. But after the experiment with a 9€/month ticket that enabled riders to use nearly every public transportation method back in the summer of 2022 was extremely successful and increased the use of public transportation, in May 2023 the new Deutschlandticket for 49€/month was introduced. This is still significantly cheaper for most people, even if they don’t use it daily, as train tickets in particular are very expensive. Currently, about 11 million people have a Deutschlandticket, and in 2023, 20 million people used it at some point, which is about 1/4 of Germans.
In Germany there are no school buses, so students either walk, ride their bike, or use the ÖPNV. Most of the daily usage consists of students and Pendlern (people that work outside of their town or region), but there are also people that use it for going to the supermarket or even for long-distance travel. Because most of the rides occur in the morning and afternoon to get to school or work, those times tend to have extremely crowded conditions. But outside of these rush periods, the traffic is usually low and people enjoy relaxed rides.
Although civilization in Germany is more dense, young people rely a lot on public transportation when they want to be independent from their parents, as the age which you can drive a car in Germany is 18, which only enables a few students to drive to school in a car. There are also way less parking options in Germany, making it easier to use the bus or tram to get in the city.
Although public transportation is way more popular in Germany, there is one thing almost everyone complains about and which, especially for trains, has almost become a running joke. In Germany, trains are rarely on time and sometimes just canceled out of nowhere, causing many people to hate relying on public transportation. People are compared with trains for not being on time and nearly every person that has used the train multiple times has at least experienced one big drama because of a train not being on time or getting canceled.
But although the ÖPNV is not perfect, it is still a great way to be independent when you can’t drive a car yet and is also better for the climate. I always enjoy my bus rides and it has led to great interactions with strangers
