A successor to the nine-euro ticket is being discussed. But as things currently stand, passengers in the Munich Transport and Tariff Association (MVV) must first expect significantly higher fares. The reason for this is the enormous increase in energy and material costs as well as higher personnel costs. When the timetable changes in December, prices could rise by up to 6.9 percent on average, as the supervisory board of the Munich transport company (MVG) announced. At least the MVG and the Bavarian Railway Company, which organizes regional rail transport for the Free State, are pushing for this.
The matter is not decided yet. This Friday, the shareholders’ meeting of the MVV, which is made up of the Free State, the eight districts in the MVV area and the city of Munich, will determine the new tariff. This usually does not happen without prior discussion. It needs to be clarified, for example, which tickets are not or only moderately more expensive and which are slightly more expensive. An increase in fares will be unavoidable without additional money from the Free State or the federal government, provided that the transport companies want to maintain their offer. The MVG would actually need 22 percent more income.
Social tickets should be excluded
Nikolaus Gradl, transport expert of the Munich SPD city council faction and member of the MVG supervisory board, makes a rather general statement before the MVV decision. “For us, tariff increases in local public transport would be a difficult step,” he says. However, if adjustments are unavoidable, these should not be at the expense of people with low incomes. That is why they are calling for social tickets and the 365-euro ticket for students and trainees to be exempted from increases.
Paul Bickelbacher, traffic expert at the Greens and also a member of the MVG supervisory board, emphasizes that these reduced tickets should not become more expensive. Nevertheless, one must react to the “insane cost increases”. “We want to try it without cutting the offer, which would be counterproductive for the traffic turnaround.”
Robert Niedergesäß (CSU), Ebersberg district administrator and spokesman for the districts in the MVV, describes the situation as difficult. On the one hand, a tariff increase after the success of the nine-euro ticket is not timely at all. “There has to be a successor solution,” he says. On the other hand, an increase would never have been so justified. According to Niedergesäß, he is not a friend of large price increases. “But we will not rehearse an uprising either.” Munich District Administrator Christoph Göbel (CSU) is also calling for a successor regulation for the nine-euro ticket. In view of the massive price increases, however, the MVV must react and it is also clear that part of the MVV’s income must currently be “ticket-financed”.
The districts want to coordinate with each other until Friday. In theory, the Free State and the City of Munich could also decide to increase the rate without their consent.