Public transport subscription
Schnieder for fixed price mechanism at the Germany ticket
Once again there is ambiguity at the Germany ticket: How will it be financed in the coming year – and how permanently?
Federal Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder speaks for a fixed price mechanism at the Germany ticket. “That would be very desirable,” said the CDU politician of the German Press Agency in Berlin. “Our goal is that we continue the Germany ticket and also find a permanent mechanism of how the price will develop in the future. I cannot say whether we can reach it for next year, but that’s the goal we have.”
On Friday, a special transport ministerial conference of the federal states is planned in Berlin, in which Schnieder also takes part. It is about how the nationwide Germany ticket in local transport is to be financed with a current price of 58 euros a month next year.
To finance the ticket, the federal and state governments are currently shooting 1.5 billion euros per year in order to compensate for loss of income for transport companies. Because most usual commuter subscriptions were much more expensive before. Financing in the regionalization law is stipulated – but only for 2025. From the traffic industry’s point of view, three billion euros are not permanently sufficient to finance the ticket. In a dpa survey, country representatives had requested that the federal government should take part in the costs of the ticket from 2026 more than before. However, there is no uniform position of the countries.
“There are more than 13 million users in Germany – that’s a word,” said Schnieder. “There are a number of users who save money. If I look at how many switched from the car to public transport, it can be more. Of course, you have to see that the offer costs the bottom line a lot.” This is also part of an honest record.
Minister: Offer has to carry itself in the long run
The countries and the federal government should be able to afford that. “The households are under enormous pressure. We actually have to come to the fact that an offer like the Germany ticket is so attractive that it is wearing itself.”
Local public transport is primarily a matter of the federal states. “We make money available for regionalization,” said Schnieder. “We also have a mechanism, as they rise. We will also talk about it again as a whole, but now I now see that detached from the direct problem of how we make the Germany ticket safe.”
In their coalition agreement, the CDU, CSU and SPD have known themselves to continue the Germany ticket beyond 2025. However, users have to prepare for a significantly higher price from 2029.
dpa
Source: Stern
