In many rural areas, public transport is difficult: buses rarely run and it is a long way to the train station. Is the car the only option? The transport minister is pushing for more connections.
Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing is promoting the expansion of transfer hubs in rural areas to make it easier for commuters to use both car and train. “We need more attractive transfer options in rural areas,” the FDP politician told dpa.
“The states could consider for themselves which locations in which regions would be best for such transfer hubs. From there, rail connections to the metropolitan region could then be offered at frequent intervals.” With the inexpensive Deutschlandticket, it is now much easier to afford a “flat rate” for local public transport (ÖPNV) in addition to a car.
Wissing said: “It’s about train stations that are easy for people from the surrounding area to reach.” There must be parking spaces available there, good bus connections, cycle paths or even bicycle parking garages and charging stations. “I am convinced that many more people will then use public transport.”
It could be organized in such a way that they do not have to choose between car or public transport, but can use both. Transfer points would be more difficult in the inner cities because there is hardly any space for parking spaces or bicycle parking garages.
Opportunity for CO2 savings
“We can ensure that a commuter drives perhaps 20 or 25 kilometers to a transfer hub instead of 100 kilometers each way by car to work,” said Wissing. “That would be up to 150 kilometers less per day – a huge CO2 saving potential.” If a commuter in the countryside switches from the car, it will have a much greater impact on climate protection than if commuters in Berlin, for example, switch. “Because they drive fewer kilometers per day.”
The minister made it clear that the Germany ticket for 49 euros a month would bring great relief and simplification in rural areas, because in contrast to urban centers, there were hardly any affordable flat-rate fares there. “Monthly tickets for commuters in rural areas were previously much more expensive than in the city.” However, not only a change in the fare is needed, but now also an improvement in the service.
“I believe that it is urgently necessary in Germany to align the structures in rural areas with more multimodal transport,” said Wissing. “The comfortable flexibility of the car and the efficiency of the rail can be combined if the infrastructure is right. This is a constructive approach that will take us further.” To think that in a free society you can force people to change their lives with state coercion is unrealistic.
The FDP politician explained with regard to the transport services in rural areas: “If the bus used to come every three hours and in the future it will come every two hours – what kind of improvement would that be? People would stick with their cars.” Getting a 20-minute bus service in every village is also not realistic. “All planners know that there are not enough skilled workers for this and that demand on the individual routes is often not sufficient.”
Deutschlandticket used less in rural areas
According to the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV), the Deutschlandticket, which has been in use for more than a year for local and regional transport nationwide, has an average of 11.2 million subscribers per month. However, so far it is primarily a ticket that is used in urban regions. According to the VDV, only 21 percent of users come from rural areas.
According to VDV surveys, around 16 percent of Deutschlandticket users are driving less often since they got the subscription. Nevertheless, the shift in traffic has not yet taken place to the extent hoped for. The federal and state transport ministers have been discussing an expansion and modernization pact for public transport for some time. The states are also demanding that the federal government increase the billions in regionalization funds used to order services from transport companies.
Source: Stern
