Status: 03/29/2022 10:02 a.m
Nine euros a month for 90 days? The idea of cheaper local transport monthly tickets is generally well received. But the implementation is obviously not easy. What’s the problem?
What do the countries have against the nine-euro ticket?
Basically nothing. The transport ministers of the federal states welcome the idea itself – the nine-euro ticket for 90 days. With this offer, people could be relieved of the currently high energy prices in a very concrete way. And also possibly win new customers for local transport, such as drivers who change in view of the high fuel prices.
Where is the problem then?
From the point of view of the federal states, however, the federal government’s proposal is difficult to implement. The organizational effort is high. There are many different transport associations in Germany, some are rather small, others quite large. They are financed very differently. And then there are also a lot of people who already have monthly or annual tickets. What about you? How are they relieved?
A free ticket would be much easier to organize. Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing rejects this. Because then you don’t know how many people are traveling in local transport. And the transport associations could not assess whether they would have to use more buses and trains because there were suddenly many more people traveling with them.
What happens now?
Before we get started, more questions need to be answered. For example: Where should the ticket be valid? The unions vary in size. Does that apply to one zone, to two, to the entire network? And: Where can you get the ticket at all? According to Wissing, everything should run digitally, but a suitable platform would have to be created for this as well.
In any case, one thing is clear: Even those who already have a monthly ticket should benefit. And it should be quick. A working group of federal and state governments should now clarify these questions. And the transport associations are working intensively on rapid implementation.
If everything goes well and has been clarified, the nine-euro ticket could start as early as May 1st.