9-euro ticket: Greens propose two follow-up tickets

A regional ticket for 29 euros, a federal ticket for 49 euros – this is what a concept paper by the Greens envisages, which ARD Capital Studio present. When it comes to financing, there is likely to be further disagreement with the coalition partner FDP.

Many passengers could drive for “less than one euro a day” – that’s how the Greens advertise their new concept. The paper was drawn up by the parliamentary group, the party and the green NRW transport minister, Oliver Krischer. It’s up to him ARD Capital Studio before.

The 29-euro regional ticket is primarily aimed at commuters who, for example, use public transport to get to work. In addition, there should be a “49-euro ticket for all of Germany”, which should break through the previous “tariff jungle” and maintain the comfort of the 9-euro ticket, the paper says.

Eight new traffic regions

It would be a bit more complicated for customers who opt for the regional ticket: According to the Green concept, this ticket is valid “at least nationwide, but also for regions such as Berlin-Brandenburg or Bremen-Hamburg-Lower Saxony”. Overall, Germany should be divided into eight zones, which could then each offer a regional ticket for 29 euros per month.

When it comes to financing, the Greens continue to insist on the proposal to curtail the company car privilege and, above all, to price CO2 emissions more heavily. This would “result in additional income for the federal and state governments, which could flow seamlessly into the financing of the cheap tickets”. How high this additional income should be is not clear from the paper.

So far, the transport companies are reckoning with a clear need for subsidies: Even a ticket for 69 euros would require annual subsidies of two billion euros, the Association of German Transport Companies has calculated. So far, neither Finance Minister Christian Lindner nor the federal states are willing to bear the high costs.

How big is the environmental effect really?

In any case, the Greens want to negotiate a follow-up ticket as quickly as possible: In surveys, “80 percent of those questioned said they wanted to continue,” says party leader Ricarda Lang.

NRW Transport Minister Oliver Krischer points to an environmental success: “Millions of people have switched to local public transport.” However, mobility researchers doubt that the 9-euro ticket would have led to a large number of drivers now using buses and trains. Many studies are still ongoing.