The €9 summer ticket was a hit. There is now a €49 monthly ticket with which you can travel in Germany for a month on regional public transport.
A €49 national monthly ticket for buses and trains in local and regional transport will be available to millions of passengers in Germany next year. The federal and state governments agreed on Wednesday during consultations in Berlin on open financing issues in local public transport (ÖPNV). The “Deutschlandticket” should be introduced as soon as possible, the aim is to start in January.
With annual costs of 588 euros, the “Deutschlandticket” would be significantly cheaper than the “Klimaticket Ö”, which was launched in Austria last year and costs 1095 euros. However, the latter also applies to long-distance transport in Austria.
German Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) said: “Now the way is clear for the biggest public transport fare reform in Germany.” The digital Deutschlandticket, valid throughout Germany, has a starting price of 49 euros per month in a subscription that can be canceled monthly, as stated in the decision of the federal and state governments. The attractiveness of public transport will increase significantly. This also helps to achieve climate goals. “At the same time, the Deutschlandticket will help ease the financial burden on citizens.” The new ticket costs three billion euros, and the federal and state governments finance half of that.
Countries receive more funds for regional connections
At the same time, the German federal government is increasing so-called regionalization funds, which federal states use to order train and bus connections from transport companies. The federal states made it a condition to co-finance the €49 ticket
According to the decision, the federal government will provide additional regionalization resources of one billion euros annually from 2022. In addition, the regionalization funds must be increased annually by three percent, up to now it was 1.8 percent . From the federal government’s point of view, states should increase their annual contributions accordingly. The federal and state governments want to talk about the development of regionalization funds and Germany’s transition to the period from 2025 to the end of 2024. The federal states demanded a clear increase in resources.
In mid-October, Germany’s federal and state transport ministers agreed in principle on a €49 ticket as a successor to the €9 summer ticket. The financial questions were still open.
Wissing said that the objective was to start the trip to Germany at the turn of the year. The preparatory work for admission had been done, but the questions still needed to be answered.
Questionable start date
Baden-Württemberg Transport Minister Winfried Hermann doubted that the €49 ticket would arrive in January. The Greens politician told the Neue Berliner Redaktionsgesellschaft (NBR) partner newspapers that it might not arrive until March 1 or April 1. The implementation is complex. The state share of 1.5 billion euros must be anchored in state budgets. In the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”, Hermann also highlighted that machines would have to be converted, tariff systems adjusted and committee decisions made.
Bremen Transport Senator Maike Schaefer (Greens), as President of the Conference of Transport Ministers, said of the agreement now reached: “The €9 accompanying ticket ‘Deutschlandticket’ is a real relief on the wallets of many passengers. “
The ticket of 9 euros, bought millions of times, allowed to travel by bus and train for a month in June, July and August. Transport ministers are planning a two-year introductory phase for the €49 successor. From the second year, the ticket can be more expensive. A “dynamisation” is foreseen in the form of automatic inflation compensation.
The turnaround in traffic “accelerates”
Pro-Rail Alliance managing director Dirk Flege said the €9 summer ticket was not a flash in the pan. “Instead, the federal and state governments are now taking into account the will of people who have impressively demonstrated that they want to travel more by bus and train if the general conditions are right.”
Greenpeace traffic expert Marissa Reiserer said the traffic upheaval in Germany is finally picking up speed. “The huge buildup of traffic on climate protection shows how far behind this is.” In order for the Deutschlandticket not only to have its full effect in terms of climate protection, it must be supplemented by a social fare of 9 euros and public transport must be constantly expanded. Jens Hilgenberg, head of transport policy at BUND, said that public transport is the backbone of the mobility transition and therefore needs additional sources of funding. Among other things, the truck’s toll revenue would have to be used.
worry about the ability
The German Association of Cities considers the decision of the 49 euros ticket insufficient. The association’s president, Markus Lewe, complained that the promised funds would make it unthinkable to expand the buses and trains to the extent necessary. It is important for cities that a national ticket of 49 euros is combined with better transport. However, both cannot be done with the funds. “There is an additional threat that schedules will have to be shortened. The traffic upheaval threatens to end up in the background,” said the mayor of Münster.
(APA/dpa/dpa-AFX)