For three months, bus and train travel for nine euros each – what sounds good has been causing a dispute at the federal and state levels for weeks. Before the week of voting, the Bavarian Minister of Transport positioned himself clearly.
Bavaria is threatening to block the upcoming vote on the nine-euro monthly ticket in the Bundesrat. “If the federal government believes that it can be applauded on the back of the federal states for a three-month consolation and that others should pay the bill, then it was very wrong,” said Bavaria’s Minister of Transport Christian Bernreiter (CSU) of the German Press Agency. If the federal government does not fully compensate for the costs of the ticket and does not significantly increase the regionalization funds as promised in the coalition agreement, it will run into a wall in the Bundesrat.
“Under the current conditions, I do not see that Bavaria can agree to the law in the Bundesrat. A real relief for the citizens would be a permanent strengthening of local public transport through more federal funds for a better offer,” emphasized Bernreiter. Instead, the federal government offers “a flash in the pan”, at the end of which, in view of the permanent problems such as high fuel prices, there is a risk of significant performance restrictions. “Anyone who lets the countries, without which the implementation would not work, accumulate in the negotiations shouldn’t be surprised if nothing comes of it in the end.”
According to plans by the federal and state governments, the special tickets should enable trips in local and regional transport nationwide in June, July and August – for nine euros a month and thus much cheaper than normal monthly tickets. They are part of the traffic light coalition’s relief package because of the high energy prices. At the same time, it should be a taster offer to win more customers for buses and trains. The federal government finances it by giving the federal states 2.5 billion euros to compensate for loss of income.
The law is to be sealed in the new week by the Bundestag and Bundesrat. The private bus industry recently warned of the negative effects of the nine-euro monthly ticket, especially on long-distance bus trips.