We wrote about the introduction of the €49 Deutschlandticket in Germany before its launch three months ago. This monthly ticket allows you to travel without restrictions using all means of public transport. How has it affected the travel of our western neighbours?

As reported by euronews.com, Evelyn Palla of Deutsche Bahn Regio admitted that 25 per cent more passengers chose to travel by regional rail than before the introduction of the D-Ticket. Tourist destinations in particular are more popular, which may indicate that some Germans have given up taking the car on summer vacations.

The ÖPNV, operator of, among other things, the suburban railways (S-Bahn) and the metro (U-Bahn), reports that one million new passengers have started using public transport on a regular basis since May. According to the Association of German Transport Companies, as of June as much as 9.6 million people used the D-Ticket subscription. Shifting to public transport drastically reduces the carbon footprint of travellers.

Meanwhile in Poland, as usual, "holidays have taken PKP by surprise". Overcrowded or delayed trains, problems with buying tickets, no seats even for people that booked them, not to mention the lack of air conditioning in most trains. Rail transport specialist Piotr Rachwalski reports about many such situations on his Facebook profile.