The states have been waiting for a long time for the federal government to change the law on the Deutschlandticket. The chairman of the Conference of Transport Ministers is now sounding the alarm.
The chairman of the Conference of Transport Ministers, NRW State Minister Oliver Krischer (Greens), warns of a massive price increase for the Deutschlandticket for local and regional transport. The background to this is a financial dispute with the federal government. The ticket currently costs 49 euros per month.
In a letter from Krischer to Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner and Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (both FDP), he states: “I see a great danger that an unmanageable patchwork of areas in which the Deutschlandticket can be continued and others in which it must be dispensed with for financial reasons will soon emerge. The only option to prevent this would be to massively increase the price of the Deutschlandticket at very short notice.”
A special conference of transport ministers could take place at the beginning of next week. The letter, which was first reported by the “RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland” (RND), was made available to the German Press Agency.
The background to Krischer’s warnings: In a paper adopted in April by the Conference of Transport Ministers of the States, it is stated that a transfer of funds not used in 2023 to 2024, agreed by Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and the states in November, is an essential prerequisite for the price of the Deutschlandticket of 49 euros per month to remain stable this year. The federal government should immediately make the necessary amendment to the Regionalization Act.
Krischer: Cries for help from the industry
Krischer criticized that the change had still not been made. The transport industry was therefore missing the important signal from the Bundestag before the summer break that the federal government was sticking to its promises. “I am receiving more and more calls for help from public authorities who see the current financing situation as inadequate and therefore uncertain. Many public authorities have therefore passed resolutions that provide for the termination of the Deutschlandticket, mostly in autumn 2024.” This is also understandable. Without the possibility of using the funds from 2023 over a period of several years, the funds available for 2024 would only be sufficient to finance the Deutschlandticket until around the end of September.
The federal cabinet must decide on changes to the regionalization law before the summer break, said Krischer. “Without such a step, the federal government’s stance would lead to necessary price increases for the Deutschlandticket in 2024 and to a significant financial burden for more than 11 million customers.
Wissing is waiting for approval from the Chancellery
In a reply letter from Wissing to Krischer, which was made available to the German Press Agency, it is stated with regard to the regionalization law that a draft draft for the relevant law has been completed and agreed with the Ministry of Finance. “The matter is with the Federal Chancellery for approval.”
The Deutschlandticket, currently priced at 49 euros per month, can be used nationwide in local and regional transport since May 1, 2023. A good eleven million tickets were recently sold each month. The money from the federal and state governments is needed to compensate for lost revenue for transport companies due to the cheaper ticket compared to previous offers.
Source: Stern
