The General German Bicycle Club (ADFC) in Bavaria is calling on the state government to come up with a concept to combat the confusion surrounding discounted bike carriage on trains – and points out further restrictions that will apply to day trippers and commuters from mid-March. In December, the one-euro ticket for bicycles on local rail transport, promised by Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) in the early election campaign, started in a test phase; but with many exceptions regarding routes, days and times. They affect many routes that are popular with excursionists and tourists, as well as some urban transport networks for commuters. The Ministry of Transport had promised a possible “further development” of the ticket in the medium term.
“Bavaria finally needs a simple and cheap way to take bikes with you,” said Frank Wessel, representative for bikes and trains at the ADFC, on Monday. “The one-euro ticket comes with more restrictions than advantages.” The ADFC had already complained at the beginning of the test phase: Buying the right bicycle ticket had already been “a science in itself” and it was now becoming even more complicated. And the test phase is not accompanied by expanded capacity for wheels on the trains.
Expert Wessel also pointed out that the ticket regulations for the summer half-year come into effect from this Friday: It will no longer be possible to take your bike for one euro from March 15th to October 3rd from Friday, 12 p.m. to Sunday night. This has been known for a long time, but many users may not be aware of it. Alternatively, customers have to purchase bicycle maps for Bavaria or individual associations – usually much more expensive ones.
When asked by the SZ, the Ministry of Transport explained: In winter the demand for taking bicycles is lower, so there are usually no capacity problems on weekends. In the warmer months, demand from travelers with and without bikes increases, especially on weekends. “Especially the routes between the very populous metropolitan region of Munich and the attractive local transport destinations such as lakes and mountains are already often busy.”
Due to the limited capacity, the railway companies and the Free State have agreed not to allow the one-euro ticket to be valid on weekends in the summer and to “first collect experience on the use of the ticket”.
However, according to a spokesman, the state government is “fundamentally striving to gradually increase the possible applications of the new ticket”. The “examination and negotiation process” is ongoing; the aim is to “examine and, if necessary, reduce” previously agreed temporal and spatial exceptions with the transport providers.