Finally just get in again? For months now, the federal and state governments have been negotiating a successor to the nationwide nine-euro local transport ticket. The new discount campaign should be cheap and convenient and should start in January if possible. In these hours, the 16 state transport ministers are discussing the details with Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) in the “Atlantic Hotel Sail” in Bremerhaven directly on the Weser at the decisive conference of transport ministers. According to negotiating circles: Both sides are getting closer – at least when it comes to the price model.
According to the information, everything currently boils down to a price of 49 euros for the nine-euro successor model. “The ticket should be available at the start for the price of €49 as an annual subscription,” it says in a key issue paper from the federal states for the conference of transport ministers Süddeutsche Zeitung present. In doing so, they respond to the wishes of Wissing, who favors this prize. “This starting price leads to a high proportion of new customers and has a high climate impact,” the paper continues. The transport ministers assume that many Germans would then switch from cars to public transport.
However, if you do not want to buy the ticket as a subscription, but only for one or individual months, you will probably have to pay more. A ticket price of 69 euros is being discussed for individual months, it is said. The resolutions are to be made on Thursday and presented at a press conference.
The start date is still open, it could also start in March
It is still questionable whether the ticket will really come on January 1st as before, despite an approximation of the price. An introduction by March 2023 is also possible, it said. The name of the ticket is also still open. While the countries would like to call the discount campaign “Klimaticket Deutschland”, Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) has the title “Deutschlandticket” in mind.
But all of this presupposes an agreement on what is probably the most difficult issue, which is still being hotly debated in Bremerhaven. Because there is still a heated argument between the federal and state governments about the financing of local transport in general. It is clear that the federal and state governments will share the cost of the ticket of three billion euros. But the federal states are also demanding many billions more from the federal government for buses and trains.
The key issues paper for the conference of transport ministers once again makes it clear how much is at stake: According to the paper, the federal states expect 1.5 billion euros to strengthen local transport and 1.65 billion euros for cost increases in the energy sector, for example, as well as 750 million euros in pandemic aid. And they make promises of billions from the federal government as a condition for the introduction of the nationwide local transport ticket.
It is an explosive demand. Because Wissing has hardly any financial leeway to make so much money for local transport by the end of the year. The funds in his budget are planned and Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) has so far shown no willingness to inject more money. However, the negotiators are still hoping that an agreement on this issue can be reached on Thursday. That cannot be ruled out, they said. However, the federal states assume that the chancellor and the prime ministers would have to approve an agreement. “A resolution of the upcoming meeting between the Federal Chancellor and the heads of government of the federal states is necessary in order to be able to prepare and implement a nationwide public transport ticket in a timely manner,” the paper says.
However, the key issues paper of the federal states shows what would happen if the financial dispute was agreed. According to the ideas of the federal states, the ticket should be “valid nationwide”, “personalized and non-transferable”. According to the proposal, children up to the age of six are free of charge. On the other hand, taking people with you free of charge is excluded. The ticket should also be offered digitally but also analogously. Transport Minister Volker Wissing had actually spoken out in favor of a primarily digital solution.