Status: 08/02/2022 10:24 a.m
Whether there will be an offer similar to the 9-euro ticket from September remains to be seen. The federal states are demanding more money for this, the Federal Rail Commissioner considers this possible – under certain conditions.
A dispute between the federal and state governments about the financing of a cheap rail service in local transport after the expiry of the 9-euro ticket is becoming apparent. The chairwoman of the conference of transport ministers, Bremen’s mobility senator Maike Schaefer, sees the federal government as having an obligation. The federal government’s rail transport officer, Michael Theurer, said the federal states had to go along with it. Without them, no follow-up offer can be implemented.
Mobility Senator Schaefer told the “RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland” that according to the regionalization law, the federal government is responsible for financing local public transport. A federal-state working group is discussing the continuation of the 9-euro ticket, in particular with regard to a socially graded ticket. “However, implementation will only be possible with a massive increase in regionalization funds by the federal government,” said Schaefer.
Theurer considers an increase in funds to be conceivable
Theurer, State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Transport, thinks that is conceivable. After the limited 9-euro ticket was so well received, the traffic light coalition is now considering increasing the regionalization funds for the federal states. “They are responsible for local transport and receive ten billion euros a year for this,” he told the “Rheinische Post”.
“But we also have to ask ourselves: What does the future of local public transport look like? And it’s also about modern offers such as customer-friendly apps, the digitization of the rails,” said the FDP politician. Theurer called the 9-euro ticket a “lure offer that should set the fragmented transport association landscape in Germany in motion”.
“I don’t think much of the 0-euro ticket”
Until the end of the month, rail travelers can use local transport throughout Germany for nine euros a month. The financing of the ticket for three months is part of the federal government’s relief packages in response to drastic price increases in almost all areas of life. Whether and how a similar offer should continue from September has been the subject of heated debate for weeks.
Theurer does not consider many of the proposed possible successor tickets to be good ideas. “For example, I don’t think much of the 0-euro ticket. It’s neither affordable nor sensible. Prices also have a steering effect and the rail network is sometimes heavily overloaded,” said Theurer. He is also skeptical about a 69-euro variant. “The 69-euro ticket, in turn, could lead to network tickets becoming more expensive in certain transport associations such as Berlin. That would also make little sense.”