opinion
69 euro proposal by the transport company
9-euro ticket successor: Don’t waste this chance!
Filled platform in Stralsund: If there is a successor to the 9-euro ticket, investments will have to be made in bus and train capacity. The money for this should be raised in view of annual climate-damaging subsidies of 65 billion euros.
© Stefan Sauer / DPA
A 69-euro offer as a successor to the 9-euro ticket? Our author believes that the German transport company’s proposal is a step in the right direction. But the price is still to be discussed.
It’s okay. The introduction of the 9-euro ticket for local public transport (ÖPNV) at the beginning of June apparently released something that had not been possible for years. Thinking outside of (tariff) limits.
Simply get in and drive off at a low monthly fixed price – without having to deal with honeycombs, tariff zones, rings and everything else that the German public transport small state has come up with. And it works: Contrary to all prophecies of doom, bus and rail transport in Germany has not completely descended into chaos.
A simple and cheap offer is important
It is only logical that an equally uncomplicated successor is now being considered. In the first step, it makes no difference whether the Germany flat rate costs 29 euros, 39 euros or – as recently proposed by the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV) – 69 euros. According to the calculations of the VDV, the federal and state governments will incur additional costs of two billion euros a year. That should be in the face of around 65 billion euros in environmentally harmful subsidiesthat the state spends annually.
The signals that emanate from a 69-euro ticket are important: the players have recognized that the price also plays an important role in the mobility decisions of the population. And it is the admission that the tariff jungle in Germany is anything but customer-friendly. Both have been regularly ignored in recent years. It was repeated like a prayer wheel that only the quality of the offer had to be right in order to persuade drivers to switch; the amount of the fare and the tariff structure are of secondary importance.
The success of the 9-euro ticket proves that this is nonsense. Spontaneous journeys, simply getting on the tram in foreign cities – none of that is a problem with the promotional ticket. The hurdles to using the bus and train are falling drastically. Last but not least, the offer also enables poorer people to participate more in social life. The Baltic Sea or the Alps no longer have to be almost inaccessible regions for them either.
A monthly ticket for public transport costs 113 euros according to a survey by the ADAC in Hamburg, but only 57 euros in Munich. The average value among German cities with more than 300,000 inhabitants is therefore 80.60 euros. For many people, a 69-euro ticket would be a significant relief – especially since it should also be valid nationwide. Cheaper regional offers such as single tickets should remain in place.
The basic idea of the 9-euro ticket could become a success story
The federal and state governments would be well advised to have a follow-up offer as early as September 1st. The proposal of the VDV is a basis for this. After a practical test, the level of the price can still be discussed, there is still room for improvement here, the savings in many places appear to be too small to really attract a significant number of new passengers to public transport. The rule should be: the lower the price, the better, especially for poorer people.
Only one thing should not be forgotten at the same time: the necessary investments in personnel, vehicles, rails, stops and in the expansion of the offer. There should also be money for this (see above). If at some point the tariff limits are completely dropped, the basic idea of the 9-euro ticket can become a real success story. This chance should not be wasted, the 69-euro ticket would be a start.
What is your opinion on the 9-euro ticket and its possible successor? Write us your opinion: [email protected]. We would like to publish some of the answers.