Hamburg public transport boss on 49-euro ticket: "Political haggling at the expense of the customer"

Created: 11/30/2022, 3:10 p.m

By: Lisa Mayerhofer

The start date of the 49-euro ticket is to be postponed by several months.

(Archive image) © Christian Charisius/dpa

The start date of the 49-euro ticket is to be postponed by several months.

HVV boss Anna-Theresa Korbutt criticizes this – and notes that Hamburg's public transport would be ready by January.

Berlin – Actually, the 49-euro ticket should have come at the turn of the year.

But the start date for the saver ticket will probably be delayed by several months.

"The time of the start will be May 1st," said the general manager of the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV), Oliver Wolff, the

.

HVV boss on the delay in the 49-euro ticket: "I can no longer approve of that"

According to Wolff, it is not possible much earlier.

There is still a lot to do before everything is administratively settled.

He cited the tariff approval process as an example.

In addition, the tariff systems of the transport associations would have to be changed.

But not everyone in the industry sees it that way: Anna-Theresa Korbutt, Managing Director of the Hamburger Verkehrsverbund (HVV), criticized the attitude of the VDV in a comment on a LinkedIn post by the association.

She writes: "I am shocked by what the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV) is saying and doing right now.

No, it is not justifiable that the time of the ticket is being delayed further and further.

We are part of the industry ourselves and know what is feasible and what is not.” Korbutt says that they were “ready to go” on January 1, 2023.

“This is now political haggling at the expense of the customer.

I can no longer approve of that.

The customer no longer approves of that!

Sorry,” criticized the HVV boss.

She received praise from many users for her statement - but also criticism from the head of ESWE Verkehrsgesellschaft in Wiesbaden and a VDV spokesman.

According to him, one problem is that the 49-euro ticket – unlike the nine-euro ticket – should only be digital and it must be possible to “securely issue and check” it beforehand.

Press spokesman Daniel Ackers goes on to explain: "But in order for HVV passengers to be able to travel anywhere in Germany with a valid ticket, all digital distribution systems must now be 'booted up' nationally.

Here the HVV and its neighbors need more than 33 calendar days.

And please believe me - all the people who are currently dealing with these topics are not preparing for a peaceful Christmas.” They are currently going full throttle to realize the project.

In a reply, Korbutt then invites him to a "professional exchange".

49-euro ticket: Further dispute over the question of financing

Behind the discussions as to whether the 49-euro ticket could be realized at the turn of the year or not is the fundamental question of financing.

A VDV spokesman emphasized this again on Wednesday (November 30) in Berlin.

The state transport ministers had made a good decision because they had positioned themselves positively to help finance half of the additional costs.

"Unfortunately, the Federal Minister of Transport did not do this for the federal government".

The longer this question remains unanswered, the later the transport companies and associations could start introducing the ticket.

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The federal states are aiming to start the 49-euro ticket in local and regional traffic on April 1st.

At the same time, however, they expect the federal government to split up any additional costs for the new Deutschlandticket equally between the federal and state governments and to bear them jointly.

Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing was cautious about the plans.

He also said the sooner the ticket comes, the better.

The general manager of the Association of German Transport Companies, Oliver Wolff, explained on Tuesday that so far the risk of a higher loss on the Deutschlandticket, which goes beyond the three billion euros previously agreed between the federal and state governments, lies entirely with the transport companies.

But they couldn't wear it.

With material from the dpa