9-euro ticket wobbles: the first countries put themselves across
Created: 05/17/2022, 14:05
By: Lisa Mayerhofer
The nine-euro ticket is supposed to come on June 1st.
But there is a dispute between the federal and state governments about funding, and the planned start date is shaky.
Munich/Berlin – The nine-euro monthly ticket should start in the summer.
But Bavaria is threatening to block the upcoming vote on this measure in the Bundesrat.
And is not alone in this: there is also headwind from Baden-Württemberg due to the planned financing.
Nine-euro ticket: Bavaria threatens to block the Bundesrat
"If the federal government believes that it can be applauded on the back of the federal states for a three-month consolation and that others should pay the bill for it, then it has made a huge mistake," said Bavaria's Minister of Transport Christian Bernreiter (CSU) at the weekend in Munich.
If the federal government does not fully compensate for the costs of the ticket and does not significantly increase the regionalization funds, as promised in the coalition agreement, it will run into a wall in the Bundesrat.
"Under the current conditions, I don't see Bavaria being able to approve the law in the Bundesrat.
A real relief for the citizens would be a permanent strengthening of local public transport through more federal funds for a better offer," emphasized Bernreiter.
Instead, the federal government offers "a flash in the pan", at the end of which there is a risk of significant performance restrictions in view of the permanent problems such as high fuel prices.
"Anyone who lets the countries, without which the implementation would not work, run up in the negotiations shouldn't be surprised if nothing comes out of it in the end."
Criticism from Baden-Württemberg on the nine-euro ticket
The Baden-Württemberg Minister of Transport, Winfried Hermann (Greens), has also warned of the end of the nine-euro ticket in the Bundesrat: If the federal government is not prepared to increase funding for local transport, “the overall package could include a tank discount and nine euros -Ticket fail in the Bundesrat," he told the
Süddeutsche Zeitung
.
Above all, the FDP does not take the warning call from the federal states seriously because of impending financial problems.
"All federal states, regardless of the coalition colors, have made it clear together that the fundamental financing problems of public transport will not be solved by the nine-euro ticket," said Hermann.
Without an increase in federal funds to compensate for extremely increased costs, the special discount in the summer “will end in ticket price increases afterwards.
Public transport advertising would become a deterrent.”
The nine-euro ticket as a relief for consumers
According to plans by the federal and state governments, the special tickets should enable trips in local and regional transport nationwide in June, July and August - for 9 euros a month and thus much cheaper than normal monthly tickets.
They are part of the traffic light coalition's relief package because of the high energy prices.
At the same time, it should be a taster offer to win more customers for buses and trains.
The federal government finances it by giving the federal states 2.5 billion euros to compensate for loss of income.
The law is expected to pass in the Bundestag and Bundesrat in the course of the week.
The private bus industry recently warned of the negative effects of the 9-euro monthly ticket, especially on long-distance bus trips.
Schaefer: CSU blockade of nine-euro ticket "regrettable, but understandable"
Bremen's transport senator Maike Schaefer (Greens), currently chairwoman of the conference of state transport ministers, called it "regrettable, but also understandable that Bavaria, the first of the CDU/CSU-led states, does not want to agree to the nine-euro ticket in the Bundesrat".
In the SZ
she criticized
above all the FDP in the federal government: "It cannot be that the FDP is blocking the traffic turnaround with pure clientele politics." If the nine-euro ticket, to which the citizens in Germany have high expectations, now cant, the Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) must be responsible.
The minister had rejected the criticism.
The accusation that the federal states were left with part of the costs is not true, Wissing said on Friday
ARD morning magazine
.
"The federal government will bear the full costs."
The desire of the federal states to get more money for local public transport in the long term and permanently is another matter.
This is currently being discussed in a working group that is to develop a proposal for financing by autumn.
"You can't mix things up."
SPD faction deputy Detlef Müller warned the federal states against a veto: "People are looking forward to the ticket, and anything other than its rapid introduction on June 1st from tactical games would produce great frustration," he told the
Handelsblatt
.
"The companies have made enormous efforts to ensure that the ticket is a success, the financing is secured, so failure in the Bundesrat would be embarrassing for the states in the first place."
(lma / dpa / AFP)
