Version 3.2
‘It was uncomfortable but not unbearable’ - experiences and perspectives of people with disabilities on the 9 euro ticket in Germany
a mixed-methods seminar project
In summer 2022, the government of Germany implemented the 9 euro ticket. Ticket holders were able to use all modes of public transport except for long-distance trains for only 9 euro per month. The aim of this policy was twofold: firstly, to financially support residents in times of increased energy costs; secondly, to incentivise people to use public transport for environmental reasons. The 9 euro trial is the first policy experiment of practically free public transport on such a large scale, and underlying the policy is the idea that public transport should be accessible to all.
We think that degrowth aligns with the goal of free public transport for all, but this also requires accommodating a diversity of needs. Studies have shown that people with disabilities are systematically disadvantaged by the transport system (Chowdhury & Park, 2018). In this seminar paper, we firstly explore how people with physical disabilities were affected and secondly how they perceived the policy. To answer our research question, we used a mixed methods approach.
Our preliminary results show that experiences of people with disabilities are shaped primarily by issues on the level of infrastructure and transport organisation that predated the trial. The implementation of the ticket, however, resulted in both the accentuation of existing problems and the creation of new ones. However, the deterioration of travel experiences did not necessarily result in the rejection of the policy. We put forward policy implications that may in the future serve both environmental as well as social justice objectives.
Info
Day:
2023-08-30
Start time:
12:00
Duration:
01:00
Room:
ZV-8-10
Type:
Special Session
Theme:
Feminist, decolonial, anti-racist and anti-ableist ecologies
