Enlarge image
Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia and Head of the Prime Ministers' Conference Hendrik Wüst (CDU)
Photo: Rolf Vennenbernd / dpa
In view of the rising energy costs and necessary investments, the federal states are sounding the alarm when it comes to financing local public transport: the head of the conference of prime ministers, Hendrik Wüst (CDU), is pushing for a billion-dollar supplement from the federal government for the regionalization funds for local public transport.
"In the current situation, the federal states need an additional three billion euros per year for efficient public transport," said the Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia to the editorial network Germany (RND).
The federal government must provide additional financial resources for a successor to the 9-euro ticket.
The rise in energy costs alone makes public transport so expensive that the same service cannot be financed from the previous regionalization funds, said the CDU politician.
In addition to the 9-euro ticket, there are a number of other important measures in transport policy that have to be paid for.
Wüst mentioned the expansion of public transport in rural areas.
"Many people don't even have the opportunity to take public transport to work in the morning."
According to the federal states, current financing is not sufficient
The federal government co-finances local transport in the federal states and municipalities via the so-called regionalization funds - this year this is around 9.4 billion euros.
In addition, there is another billion euros from another financial pot.
From the point of view of the federal states, this is not enough to expand public transport for significantly more passengers.
The heads of the traffic light coalition had agreed for the planned next relief package to provide 1.5 billion euros annually for a nationwide local transport ticket - if the federal states give at least as much.
col/dpa