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Waiting for the ticket solution: A public transport customer in Berlin
Photo: FILIP SINGER / EPA
The nine-euro ticket last summer was considered a political success, the traffic light had temporarily subsidized a monthly ticket that enabled nationwide driving on public transport.
Now politicians are working on a permanent successor with the 49-euro ticket, but before the introduction there is sharp criticism of the implementation.
“First of all, there will be bumps all over Germany,” warns the President of the German District Association, Reinhard Sager, in the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung”.
He thinks the 49-euro monthly ticket for regional transport and the planned start on May 1st are a bad idea.
"Every corner will have to be improved."
With the subscription, holders should be able to travel on regional buses and trains throughout Germany – for 49 euros a month.
But instead of investing primarily in better local transport, politicians are now racking their brains about how to finance the ticket service.
"This is an absurd situation that politics has gotten us into." It is "a joke of our market economy to first set the price and then arrange the supply accordingly."
"What use is a 9-euro ticket for a bus that doesn't run?"
After a long back and forth, the federal and state governments agreed on Friday to introduce the 49-euro ticket for local public transport on May 1st.
The monthly ticket, which is valid throughout Germany, was originally intended to be introduced at the turn of the year.
However, it quickly became apparent that this would not be possible.
The preparations were bumpy - those responsible in the federal states and the Federal Ministry of Transport blamed each other for the delays.
The districts are not against a Germany ticket that is simple and customer-friendly, said Sager.
However, a cheap ticket does not solve the problems of local transport.
“That was the mistake of the 9-euro ticket.
What use is a 9 euro ticket for a bus that doesn't run?
Now let's try a 49 euro ticket.
But the bus still doesn't run in many areas," says Sager.
mrc/dpa/AFP