The federal government has promised the transport companies financial support for the loss of revenue. However, funding is still uncertain. The decisions of the prime ministers, which were taken in November 2022, were not sufficient. “It would be absurd if the municipal transport companies had to bear the costs that the federal and state governments do not cover,” said Sager.
The districts are not against a Germany ticket that is simple and customer-friendly. However, a cheap ticket does not solve the problems of local transport. “That was the mistake of the 9-euro ticket. What use is a 9-euro ticket for a bus that doesn’t run? Now we’re trying a 49-euro ticket. But the bus still runs in many areas not always,” said Sager.
Instead of talking about larger investments in local transport, it is now necessary to think about how a 49-euro ticket is to be financed. “This is an absurd situation that politics has brought us into,” complained Sager.
After a long back and forth, the federal and state governments agreed on Friday to introduce the 49-euro ticket for local public transport on May 1st. The monthly ticket, which is valid throughout Germany, was originally intended to be introduced at the turn of the year. However, it quickly became apparent that this would not be possible. The preparations were bumpy – those responsible in the federal states and the Federal Ministry of Transport blamed each other for the delays.
