Regional and local transport
Crafts: subsidy for a driving license instead of a Germany ticket
From the perspective of the trades, the public transport service misses many people. It also becomes more expensive in January. The big wave of layoffs has not yet occurred. Many customers still have to act now.
With the Deutschlandticket, passengers have been able to use local and regional public transport nationwide since May 2023. But from the perspective of crafts president Jörg Dittrich, the offer is beyond the reach of many people, especially in rural regions. “Telling people in the countryside: Buy a Germany ticket, they won’t get caught there,” said the President of the Central Association of German Crafts (ZDH) to the newspapers of the Funke media group.
“The bus often no longer runs there when it is needed, for example very early in the morning when you want to get to the construction site or the training site.” Dittrich emphasized that trainees in rural areas would be more helped if they received a subsidy for their driving license.
So far no wave of cancellations despite price increase
In fact, the subscription for local public transport (ÖPNV) is more commonly used in urban regions. According to the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV), only one in five users comes from rural areas. On average, around 13.1 million people use the ticket every month.
According to the VDV, there has been no major wave of cancellations so far, even if the Germany ticket will become more expensive from January. The monthly price will then rise from the current 49 euros to 58 euros. Anyone who has taken out the subscription via the Deutsche Bahn (DB) channels and wants to continue it despite the price increase in January must agree to the surcharge by Saturday at the latest.
“If subscribers do not agree to the politically decided price increase or do not re-register on time, DB will unfortunately have to cancel the Deutschlandticket subscription with effect from December 31, 2024,” said the federally owned company.
Transport companies handle price increases differently
However, this does not affect all owners. Many people did not take out their subscription with Deutsche Bahn, but rather with one of the many transport associations or local transport companies. Each and every one of them handles the transition differently.
For most participating companies, the subscription simply continues at the higher price if it is not canceled in time for the New Year. With other providers, such as the Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG), customers have to object if they do not want to continue. As a rule, the owners are informed by the respective company if they need to take any action.
The majority of subscribers who booked the ticket through the railway have already agreed to the price increase, the railway also announced. The company did not provide exact figures. Anyone who is canceled due to the lack of commitment, or who decides at short notice to continue, can reactivate the subscription via the app until December 31st.
The railway expressed its confidence that the subscription would remain an attractive offer even at the higher price. Almost all regular local transport subscriptions are more expensive than the Deutschlandticket, which is also more flexible and valid nationwide, it was said.
dpa
Source: Stern
