The Deutschlandticket should continue to exist until at least 2036. The federal states are insisting on this at the conference of transport ministers. The sticking point as always: financing.
Münster – The debate about the continued existence of the Deutschlandticket is already heating up again. The federal states are once again demanding money from the federal government in order to be able to secure the financing of the ticket in the future. This is about 350 million euros, which the transport companies urgently need - and which Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) actually promised in November. “If the funds are not transferred, the Deutschlandticket will have to become more expensive this year, or it will even be phased out completely,” warns Bavaria’s Transport Minister Christian Bernreiter (CSU). He doesn't want either, because that would be a major loss of trust. Bild
reports that the ticket price will increase from currently 49 to 69 euros per month if the money doesn't come soon
.
Transport ministers meet: countries want funding for the Deutschlandticket until 2036
The transport ministers of the federal states will meet again on Wednesday and Thursday (April 17th and 18th) to discuss the issue. As can be seen from a draft resolution that was first available to
Tagesspiegel
, the federal states now want funding secured until 2036.
The draft resolution was drawn up by North Rhine-Westphalia, and the transport minister there, Oliver Krischer (Greens), is currently chairing the conference. According to the report, the paper states that the subsidy from the federal and state governments should be capped at 1.5 billion euros per year - but there should be regular price increases for the ticket.
“The selling price for the Germany ticket is regularly checked and updated and set in such a way that the currently fixed half subsidy from the federal and state governments totaling a maximum of three billion euros per annum is sufficient to cover the shortfall from the ticket based on the forecast “, quoted the
Tagesspiegel
from the key points on the sustainable financing of the Deutschlandticket.
At the same time, the paper admits that a cap on subsidies can set in motion “significant price dynamics, resulting in prices for the Germany ticket that do not meet demand.” A deviation from the “standard update of the ticket price” is therefore possible if the federal and state governments decide on a higher subsidy in the Prime Minister’s Conference.
Buy Germany ticket from 2025: Financing not secured
In any case, it is unclear what the Deutschlandticket will cost from 2025 onwards. Ramona Pop, board member of the Federal Association of Consumer Organizations, said: “The federal and state governments must now stick to their promise and keep the price stable, at least until 2030.” In order to get even more people on buses and trains in the long term, secure permanent financing is needed of the Germany ticket is necessary.
“It may be that there will be a greater burden on passengers in the future and the price will rise,” said Schleswig-Holstein Transport Minister Claus Ruhe Madsen (CDU). But first there must be facts on the table about the exact amount of income. Madsen also called for a signal from the federal government to stand by its responsibility for the Deutschlandticket from 2026 onwards. In order to compensate for loss of revenue for transport companies from tickets, the federal government will pay 1.5 billion euros per year until 2025 according to the Regionalization Act - the states will also pay 1.5 billion.
Deutschlandticket 2024: Transport companies need more money for public transport
The billion-dollar so-called regionalization funds from the federal government, which the states and transport associations use to order rail and bus connections from transport companies, have been a bone of contention for years - the states are demanding significantly more money. The background is also a planned “expansion and modernization pact” for local public transport.
The Association of German Transport Companies (VDV) demands that the discussion at the transport ministers' conference should not stop at the Deutschlandticket. “We expect that the conference of transport ministers will deal with the overall dramatic situation of public transport financing,” said VDV managing director Alexander Möller. “The industry needs a secure and reliable perspective for the urgently needed expansion and modernization of infrastructure and vehicles as well as financial resources for the nationwide expansion of offerings.”
The availability of buses and trains must be increased, said Krischer. “But for this we need investments in the expansion and maintenance of the railways.” Krischer had already welcomed an “infrastructure fund” proposed by Wissing, in which financial resources for rails, roads and waterways would be pooled for several years. Wissing also wants to mobilize private capital. “I hope the federal government will provide further details,” said Krischer. “One thing is clear: without additional investments in infrastructure, the Deutschlandticket will lose its appeal.”
With material from dpa and afp