Status: 01.08.2022 3:50 p.m
In the discussion about a possible successor to the nine-euro ticket, a new proposal comes from Lower Saxony: the Ministry of Transport is bringing a North German solution into play.
“If a nationwide ticket cannot be implemented, the five northern German states could alternatively set something up,” said the ministry at the request of the German Press Agency – without becoming more specific. A Germany-wide follow-up offer for the ticket that expires at the end of August is still favoured, although Lower Saxony’s Ministry of Transport does not want to wait too long for this. In mid-August, the federal and state governments want to talk about the issue. There is currently a problem with the question of money, and the federal states also need money from the federal government for the northern ticket, said a ministry spokesman – but that would not be that much. Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) had rejected a follow-up offer of the nine-euro ticket at the weekend.
The state student council is calling for the special ticket to be continued from September if possible. The offer, which is initially limited to the end of August, has revolutionized local public transport in terms of accessibility, according to a statement by the student council on Monday. “The nine-euro ticket can bridge the gap between school and leisure time,” said Louisa Basner from the state student council. There is added value for many students, “which goes far beyond the school benefit”. Students from low-income households would benefit the most. In addition, the offer relieves upper school and vocational school students, since the state school law does not provide for the assumption of costs for their way to school. The North German solution proposed by the Ministry of Transport must be “actively planned”.
Althusmann: The federal government must take responsibility
Lower Saxony’s Transport Minister Bernd Althusmann sees the federal government as having an obligation. “It can’t be that the federal government initiates the ticket, leaves the implementation to the states, lets itself be celebrated for the success and then doesn’t want to take responsibility for a follow-up solution.” The CDU politician assumes that a follow-up offer will only be possible with a significant increase in federal funds. Prime Minister Stephan Weil (SPD) had already said at the beginning of July that he did not expect the offer to be continued. “As states, we will not be able to simply continue the nine-euro ticket if the federal government does not make the offer permanent with a lot of money,” said Weil.
Further information
Greens demand continuation – or alternative
Across all parties in Lower Saxony, approval of the nine-euro ticket and a corresponding offer after the campaign has expired prevails. The Greens parliamentary group leader Julia Willie Hamburg emphasized that the ticket relieves everyone who would otherwise have to spend a lot of money on monthly tickets. If the federal government is unable to continue, the state government must initiate a follow-up regulation, for example by introducing a ticket that costs two euros a day. FDP parliamentary group leader Stefan Birkner also referred to a great need for uncomplicated and cheap local transport. The SPD traffic politician Christoph Bratmann emphasized the importance of cheap and uniform tariffs. “There must not be a return to the confusing jungle of tariffs and single trips for more than three euros within a municipality.”
MV: CDU parliamentary group welcomes Lower Saxony plan
One reaction to the Lower Saxony initiative came from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: the CDU parliamentary group in the state parliament supports the idea of a North German model. The federal government is divided on the subject of a connection solution, “in this respect, a transport policy cooperation between the northern countries is absolutely right to increase the pressure on the federal government, but also to develop opportunities for a cross-state transport concept,” said the transport policy spokesman for the CDU parliamentary group, Daniel Peters . In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania there is already a €365 ticket for trainees. In 2023, the annual ticket for one euro a day for senior citizens will follow.
SH: North German solution without a federal government doesn’t work
The Schleswig-Holstein Ministry of Transport reacted cautiously to the idea from Hanover. It was said that the momentum had to be used for climate protection reasons to get more people from cars to rail. This requires a clear announcement from the federal government as to the amount of money available for this, said Schleswig-Holstein’s Transport Minister Claus Ruhe Madsen (independent) on Monday to the NDR in Lower Saxony. A connection ticket only makes sense if the offer is also expanded. “A North German solution will not work without the federal government on board,” said Madsen.
Further information
