Corona measures: test before boarding – 3G planned for buses and trains

“Change of personnel – newcomers, please provide test or vaccination certificates!” Will the passengers be greeted on the train so soon? The SPD, Greens and FDP want to introduce 3G in buses and trains. Only those who have recovered, vaccinated or tested are allowed to ride.

But that cannot be easily implemented. There are many legal and practical questions, especially in local transport. The acting Federal Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer (CSU) warned of a traffic chaos on Monday. Millions of people depend on buses and trains every day.

The Executive Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU), on the other hand, welcomed the planned 3G rule in principle. While Deutsche Bahn was open, Skepis was revealed to the Association of German Transport Companies, which also represents many municipal companies.

3G in buses and trains is part of a package of measures with which the SPD, Greens and FDP want to slow the spread of the corona virus. They agreed on this over the weekend. So far, all means of transport are open to everyone, but a mask is required.

The virologist Christian Drosten dampened expectations of 3G in traffic. One was in a high incidence time and had to expect that vaccinated people present would have a substantial risk of being infected undetected, said Drosten in a Bundestag hearing. The goal of protecting unvaccinated people from infection is thus missed.

“Not reasonably feasible”

“3G would be nice, but it is not reasonably feasible,” said the Pro Bahn passenger association. Neither the almost 6,000 train stations and stops, nor the trains themselves with their numerous stops could be monitored across the board. It was better to prescribe FFP2 masks and to limit the food to the dining car, advised the honorary chairman Karl-Peter Naumann.

If at all, it can only be checked randomly, said the Association of German Transport Companies. Like Deutsche Bahn, he considers the help of the federal police to be necessary. The railway and transport union sees it similarly. “An inevitable exclusion from driving must also be enforced,” she noted.

3G controls in buses and trains could be on a case-by-case basis – as with ticket controls, it was said from the parliamentary groups of the planned traffic light coalition of the SPD-Greens and FDP. This could be checked, for example, with an already available check app for digital evidence. FDP politician Marco Buschmann assured that no fences should be drawn around train stations.

Cities advocate push

The cities support the move. “Controls are only possible through spot checks or concerted days of action with transport companies, regulatory agencies and the police,” emphasized the chief executive of the German Association of Cities, Helmut Dedy, however. “We are therefore relying above all on people’s understanding that these rules help prevent infection.”

It might also be necessary to change the Passenger Transport Act or the transport conditions of the transport companies. Otherwise, there is an obligation to transport in local transport.

A 3G rule would be another economic blow for transport companies. The number of passengers has already fallen sharply. Before Corona, people made 30 million trips by bus and train every day. Last winter, the numbers dropped to 40 percent, and now it’s already 70 to 80 percent. But with 3G the numbers should go down significantly again.

The industry had complained only a few days ago that there was probably a lack of billions in fare income in the next year as well. She counts on further state aid. The passenger association warned not to lose sight of other problems in addition to infection protection: “Driving people from public transport into cars does not make sense in terms of climate policy or traffic safety.”