Status: 09/19/2022 5:38 p.m
A connection solution for the 9-euro ticket has been discussed for weeks. Now the end is apparently in sight: the federal and state governments want to come to an agreement by October 12 – the date of the next conference of transport ministers.
The federal states have again announced their willingness to co-finance a successor to the 9-euro ticket. However, they are now relying on an agreement with the federal government by mid-October. That said Bremen’s Transport Senator Maike Schäfer (Greens) as Chair of the State Transport Ministers’ Conference. “We’ve come a good step further.”
However, the prerequisite is significantly more money from the federal government than the previously promised 1.5 billion euros. A working group was set up for this purpose, which should deliver a result no later than October 12, the date of the next conference. Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing welcomed the fact that the federal states now want to introduce a follow-up ticket with the federal government on January 1, 2023. This is an ambitious goal that requires quick decisions. However, he did not promise any additional money.
49-euro ticket under discussion
The traffic light coalition had decided on the ticket for nine euros per month from June to August to compensate for the increased burden of energy prices. The Germany-wide public transport ticket has sold 50 million copies and is considered a great success. The federal government compensated for the loss of income of the transport companies with 2.5 billion euros. Among other things, a 49-euro ticket is now being discussed, which, according to Schäfer, would cost an additional three billion euros a year.
Local transport is under the direction of the federal states, but the federal government has to co-finance it. Wissing wants to make half available for this. The other half would be taken over by the federal states, as Schäfer indicated. However, they insist on further funds: An additional 1.5 billion euros would have to come from the federal government as so-called regionalization funds for the expansion of local transport, since it had promised an increase beyond the ticket. Furthermore, money of a similar amount would have to flow again to compensate for the drastically increased energy prices.
Wissing advocates simpler structures
Wissing referred to the decision of the most recent coalition summit, with which the 1.5 billion euros were put on the table. In addition, money is not the only problem: “The hurdles are too big in local transport, the tariffs are too complex, the entry prices are too expensive,” he criticized. “We need simpler structures so that we can achieve digitization.” This is important in order to modernize the country. Nevertheless, he thinks it is feasible to offer a follow-up ticket for January.