The transport ministers of the federal states want to secure the Germany ticket in the long term until 2036. But in order to cap state and federal subsidies, the subscription price could be increased regularly.
In the debate about the future of the Deutschlandticket, North Rhine-Westphalia wants to negotiate joint financing by the federal and state governments for the next ten years, if possible. The aim is for the federal government and the states to continue to cover half of the state subsidy for the ticket – “in a first step for a period of ten years from 2026 onwards,” says the resolution drafted by the state chairing the transport ministers’ conference Münster, which is available to the dpa news agency. The “Tagesspiegel” had previously reported.
The Deutschlandticket for 49 euros per month can be used nationwide on local and regional transport since May 1, 2023. A good eleven million tickets were recently sold every month. The money from the federal and state governments is needed to compensate for loss of income for transport companies due to cheaper tickets compared to previous offers.
According to the regionalization law, the federal and state governments each pay 1.5 billion euros. Over the past few months there has been a lot of hard debate over how to distribute the costs. The transport ministers of the federal states will discuss the issue in Münster until tomorrow. Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) was represented by state secretaries.
350 million euros are needed
The paper from NRW Transport Minister Oliver Krischer also warns that the three billion euros might not be enough to maintain the previous price of 49 euros. There is a risk of significant price dynamics, with the result that the Germany ticket will have to be offered at “prices that do not reflect demand,” said the Green politician. According to an agreement reached by the transport ministers in January, the price should actually remain stable at 49 euros per month for 2024. But even that no longer seems to be entirely certain.
Bavaria’s Transport Minister Christian Bernreiter said before the Transport Ministers’ Conference that the decision was based on a promise from Chancellor Olaf Scholz that remaining funds from the previous year could be transferred to this year. It’s about 350 million euros that the states and transport companies urgently need. The CSU politician criticized that nothing had happened here since November.
“If the funds are not transferred, the Germany ticket will have to become more expensive this year, or it will even be phased out completely,” said Bernreiter. He doesn’t want either, because that would be a major loss of trust.
Consumer advice center: Price must remain stable until 2030
“We need clear funding commitments from the federal government for the Deutschlandticket from 2026 and finally a binding transfer of federal funds from 2023 to 2024, otherwise there will have to be a renewed discussion about the price level,” said Schleswig-Holstein’s Transport Minister Claus Ruhe Madsen from the CDU.
Ramona Pop from the Federal Association of Consumer Organizations called for the price to be kept stable until at least 2030. In order to get even more people onto buses and trains in the long term, secure, permanent financing of the Deutschlandticket is necessary.