Traffic
Criticism of the federal government’s financial plans for the 9-euro ticket continues
From June, a cheap ticket for local and regional transport will be valid nationwide for three months. Photo: Sina Schuldt/dpa
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The debate about the 9-euro monthly ticket for local and regional transport never ends. The chairwoman of the conference of transport ministers calls for more support from the federal government.
The criticism of the federal financial plans for the planned 9-euro monthly ticket in local and regional transport does not stop.
The chairwoman of the conference of transport ministers of the federal states, Bremen’s transport senator Maike Schaefer (Greens), demanded that risks with the 9-euro ticket should not be transferred to the federal states.
According to Schaefer, the ticket should not become a “flash in the pan”. The federal states are ready, together with the authorities responsible for local public transport (ÖPNV), to do everything possible to implement the agreed 9-euro ticket nationwide on June 1st. “In return, the conference of transport ministers expects the federal government to stand by its promise and bear the costs of organization and implementation. The risks must not be transferred to the countries.”
An additional 3.7 billion euros from the federal government
From June, a cheap ticket for local and regional transport will be valid nationwide for three months. According to a draft law from the Ministry of Transport, the federal government wants to increase funds for the federal states to finance local transport by 3.7 billion euros this year. In addition to corona-related failures, the costs for the 9-euro monthly ticket in the amount of 2.5 billion euros are to be paid – from June to the end of August, passengers should be able to travel nationwide in local and regional transport for 9 euros per month. The Federal Council must approve the financial package.
Bavaria’s Transport Minister Christian Bernreiter (CSU) said: “If, as expected, many people want to use the ticket and additional trains and buses have to be provided for this, the federal government does not want to raise the money for it.” The federal government must improve.
Schaefer said that the members of the conference of transport ministers also expected the federal government to compensate for the failures in the expansion of public transport services, the increase in construction, energy and personnel costs and the enormous increase in energy costs as a result of the Ukraine conflict in 2022 totaling 1.5 billion euros to be settled.
The union rejects that. Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) had said that the federal states would also benefit from the reduction in energy costs in local transport, such as the planned temporary reduction in energy tax on fuels.