Status: 08/26/2022 09:11 a.m
How can public transport companies cope with the sharp increase in energy costs? And what follows the 9 euro ticket? There is a lot that needs to be clarified at the special conference of transport ministers.
The transport associations are groaning under the sharp rise in energy costs. At today’s special conference, the transport ministers of the federal states are looking for solutions to overcome the crisis.
In the video conference, the state politicians want to discuss whether the federal states can agree on a common demand for the Federal Ministry of Transport on this issue. Because buses and trains should maintain their services despite the increased prices for fuel and electricity.
The incumbent chairwoman of the conference of transport ministers is Bremen’s transport senator Maike Schaefer (Greens). Your spokesman said that an aid fund would be conceivable to support the transport company, comparable to the Corona rescue package. Among other things, it would have to be clarified how the funds would be distributed in the event of such an “energy rescue package”, said the spokesman.
Decision on 9-euro ticket successor not to be expected
Another topic of the video conference is likely to be a possible successor to the 9-euro ticket that expires at the end of August. However, decisions on this issue are not to be expected today, it said. The ministers from the federal states only want to deal with this at their regular meeting in October.
The cheap ticket for local public transport, which was started as a relief project for citizens, is considered a great success. A successor model is now being discussed.
Lower Saxony’s Minister of Transport, Bernd Althusmann, said: “There is no agreement, because first of all the focus is on the fact that almost one billion euros are missing to maintain local transport.” The states wanted to talk to the federal government about this, according to the CDU politician Deutschlandfunk.
Hermann demands more money from the federal government
Baden-Württemberg’s Transport Minister Winfried Hermann considers a nationwide significant improvement in basic funding to be a priority. “For us, the most important thing is that the regionalization funds are significantly increased so that the federal states can order enough trains for regional rail traffic,” said the Green politician. “A cheap ticket would be of no use if the countries were forced to cancel trains because energy and personnel costs are rising,” said the Green politician.
The Association of Towns and Municipalities is calling on the ministers to agree on a successor solution for the expiring 9-euro ticket. “The goal should be a permanently cheap uniform ticket such as a 365-euro annual ticket,” said the general manager Gerd Landsberg, the “Augsburger Allgemeine”.
Cities and communities expect the ministers to “finally end the polyphony and agree on a common line on how the turnaround in traffic needs to be pushed forward”. Landsberg said that this includes ending the tariff jungle in public transport.