After weeks of dispute and warnings about an end to the Deutschlandticket, Chancellor Scholz and representatives of the federal states have agreed on steps to further finance it. Is everything good with that?
After the decision of the Prime Minister’s Conference (MPK) on the Deutschlandticket, from the perspective of the transport industry, not all uncertainties surrounding the subscription for local public transport have been resolved.
“The additional funds now available for 2024 are a good signal and an important step for the short-term survival of the Germany Ticket,” said the President of the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV), Ingo Wortmann, on Tuesday. “However, this does not provide a final and complete answer to the financing question.”
The funds now made available would probably not be sufficient for the entire coming year. “With this decision, the debate about the future of the ticket is being extended,” Wortmann continued.
The general manager of the Allianz pro Schiene interest group, Dirk Flege, made a similar statement. “It’s good that the Germany ticket is continuing,” he said on Tuesday. “It’s bad that central questions remain unanswered.” The federal and state governments would have to “agree on an overall package at the beginning of the year, which, in addition to long-term financing, also includes the introduction of a nationwide social ticket and the urgently needed expansion of public transport services.”
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and representatives of the federal states agreed on steps to further finance it on Tuesday night after weeks of argument and warnings about an end to the Deutschlandticket. Subsidies not used this year will be allowed to be used next year to compensate for financial disadvantages for transport companies that have arisen as a result of cheaper tickets. The price of 49 euros, which is expressly considered the “introductory price”, also comes into focus.
Source: Stern
