9 euro ticket in Bavaria?

“Nice idea, but a waste of money”

Created: 05/05/2022Updated: 05/05/2022 09:39

By: Dirk Walter

According to the new president of the district council, Thomas Karmasin, the 9-euro ticket does not bring much.

(Iconic image) © IMAGO/IPA Photo/Wolfgang Maria Weber (Collage-merkur.de)

The new District Council President Thomas Karmasin talks about Ukraine, digital and the 9-euro ticket in an interview.

Munich – Thomas Karmasin (CSU), district administrator in Fürstenfeldbruck since 1996, has been the new president of the Bavarian district association since Wednesday.

He succeeds Christian Bernreiter, who was appointed Minister of Transport.

An interview about old and new challenges of the district administrators.

At the beginning of the war in Ukraine, there were predictions that the municipalities were expecting an influx of refugees like in 2015. Has this come true?

It is true that the wave is flattening out a little, the arrival of new refugees is manageable.

But no one knows how the war will develop.

And we already have 2,000 Ukraine war refugees in the Fürstenfeldbruck district, for example – we have to continue caring for them.

What is the biggest challenge for the counties?

The system question is the most pressing in terms of time.

From June, the federal government no longer wants to regulate the accommodation of refugees according to the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act, but according to Hartz IV.

Where is the problem?

If this is implemented, the federal government will no longer have to pay for refugees who do not live privately.

Rather, the municipalities should take over 37 percent of the costs according to the Hartz IV mode.

That will not do.

In addition, the refugees then have to take care of their accommodation themselves - the districts can no longer provide them.

I fear increased homelessness.

Are the refugees distributed fairly in Bavaria?

I wouldn't focus on that.

Since the refugees are not subject to the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act, they can move wherever they want.

The new district council president Thomas Karmasin.

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Karmasin: "In the case of digitization, there is small-stateism"

There are city partnerships with the Ukraine, such as Munich and Kyiv.

Are partnerships also conceivable for rural districts?

That would be conceivable, for example to provide reconstruction aid after the war.

We had that after reunification, for example there was a partnership between the districts of Fürstenfeldbruck and Zeulenroda/Greiz in Thuringia.

Digitization is also a permanent topic in the districts.

Why is it so slow?

Of course we have to be faster.

A study has calculated that today we absolutely need a personal signature for 3000 administrative processes.

When asked, it was then said that with at least 2700 it had to stay that way.

Of course we won't get any further like this.

We also have to avoid isolated solutions.

When it comes to digitization, there are small states – every district, every city is looking for its own online solutions.

9-euro ticket: “Nice idea.

But waste of money"

Where could you imagine more offers for the public?

That’s where the licensing system comes in.

Why shouldn't you register your car purely online?

Or building permits – many things could also be digitally simplified here.

Will the 9-euro ticket bring more customers to the MVV?

No, that's a nice thought.

But waste of money.

In the greater Munich area, people will be happy if they can travel three months cheaper.

Hardly any more people can get on the well-filled S-Bahn trains.

And in the countryside, where there is little public transport, it doesn't help anyone if a non-existent bus or train costs little.

The district of Wunsiedel has a good 70,000 inhabitants, while the district of Munich has almost 350,000. Is local government reform necessary?

no

This is always associated with a lot of frustration and there are really more important issues at the moment.

You are 59, and will be 63 in the next local elections in 2026. Will you run again as district administrator and then as district president?

I have to leave that open.

The interview was conducted by Dirk Walter