Valid nationwide, comparatively cheap and above all easy: The 49-euro ticket is intended to make local and regional transport in Germany more attractive and bring numerous new passengers to buses and trains. For the millions of commuters in Germany, it should become even cheaper with the help of a job ticket regulation. The monthly subscription could cost you 34.30 euros or less – if the employer goes along with it. But some transport experts are skeptical as to whether this will give public transport the boost it needs.
In any case, Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) is impressed by the offer. “Employers have the opportunity to create additional incentives and provide their employees with the Deutschlandticket as a job ticket. This makes the offer even more interesting for commuters and for everyday traffic,” said the Minister of the German Press Agency. The aim is for as many people as possible to opt for climate-friendly local transport. The new ticket removes hurdles by making it cheaper, simpler and more digital.
Sales start this Monday
The Germany ticket for nationwide local and regional transport at a price of 49 euros per month should be valid from May 1st. The official start of sales is this Monday. As a job ticket, it can only cost employees 34.30 euros, or less. The prerequisite is that employers give at least 25 percent as a subsidy. Then there will be an additional five percent discount from the federal government until the end of 2024. The Federal Council sealed the financing law for the Deutschlandticket on Friday.
The transport industry sees this regulation as “an important lever for acquiring new customers”, as a spokesman for the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV) announced on Saturday. According to the VDV, the number of job tickets in Germany is in the low single-digit million range. With the help of the new job ticket regulation, the industry association is aiming for a doubling or tripling. “The transport companies have set up simple processes for employers,” it said. Interested companies should be able to quickly find their way around the website of the transport company.
Contribution for switching from car to bus and train
The German Federation of Trade Unions also spoke of a good idea to offer the new ticket as a job ticket. “That makes it more attractive,” said board member Stefan Körzell of the dpa. Job tickets made an important contribution to the switch from cars to buses and trains. Whether companies use this opportunity for their employees depends on additional incentives that have to be decided politically. The DGB recommends a permanent job ticket discount of five percent if companies subsidize it with at least 25 percent. The offer as a job ticket must come quickly and across the board.
But from the point of view of the Pro Bahn passenger association, the price is not the only criterion that makes commuter trips in buses and trains attractive. “Where public transport is good and the way to the employer is not too far away, the job ticket can increase the attractiveness a bit,” said honorary chairman Karl-Peter Naumann of the dpa on Saturday.
Investments in the infrastructure and in the quality of the offer are more important. At the same time, it must become less attractive to drive to work: “It would be at least as big a job ticket subsidy if parking spaces for employees were always subject to a fee,” suggested Naumann. DGB board member Körzell made a similar statement. “Buses and trains are already jam-packed, especially at peak times, in rural areas the offer is meager and there is a lack of staff everywhere,” he emphasized. The top priority is therefore to provide enough money for local public transport.
