MVV membership: What will become of the city bus? There are still many open questions to be answered in Penzberg

The Kochelseebahn is expected to be part of the MVV tariff area from December.

In the city of Penzberg, you would like to be there with your own city bus, so that one ticket is valid for the train and city bus.

Whether that will work so quickly, however, remains to be seen.

There are still a lot of questions to be answered.

Penzberg – The MVV tariff is expected to apply on the Kochelseebahn route from the timetable change in December.

The district of Weilheim-Schongau may be included a year later, in December 2024.

The city of Penzberg also wants to be there with its own city bus.

The idea behind the uniform MVV area is that one ticket is valid for everything, i.e. no separate ticket has to be purchased when changing from bus to train and vice versa.

City bus: Simultaneously with the Kochelseebahn to the MVV?

The city of Penzberg is apparently trying to get the city bus into the MVV area at the same time as the Kochelseebahn, i.e. at the end of the year and thus before the district.

Mayor Stefan Korpan (CSU) wants to bring the topic to the city council this year if possible.

Many questions still need to be clarified in negotiations with MVV

What sounds simple is, however, complicated.

According to Mayor Korpan and Head of Public Order Joachim Bodendieck, there are still many questions to be clarified in negotiations with the MVV.

For example, it is about the financing of the city bus - so far it has been based to a large extent on ticket income.

The question is how billing is done if there are no city bus tickets but only MVV tickets.

A solution would have to be found for the MVV to pay the city.

According to Bodendieck, it would probably be based on assumptions about the number of passengers in the city buses, since proof by counts would be too large.

It is unclear what accession means for city bus prices

It is also unclear what the MVV membership means for the prices in city bus transport.

That too is a matter for the talks with the MVV, according to Bodendieck.

At the moment it is too early to say anything about it.

According to him, it also depends on the negotiations whether there will be a separate city bus tariff within the city bus service – i.e. for passengers who only travel in the city area.

When asked to what extent the city still has influence on the city bus tariffs, the head of the public order office says that the tariff sovereignty should remain with the city according to his legal understanding.

Which would mean, for example, that free rides for students on the city bus could be retained.

Accession “if it takes place within a certain financial framework”

"It's a complex issue," confirms Mayor Korpan.

In principle, he is in favor of joining the MVV area: with the district "definitely", with the Penzberg city bus, "if it happens within a certain financial framework for the city".

However, he cannot say whether it will work at the same time as the Kochelseebahn.

The wish would be there, but according to him it depends on the negotiations and the conditions, and also on whether the MVV is so fast.

"We will clarify everything with the MVV to find the best and cheapest solution for Penzberg," said the mayor.

Tariff zone 5/6 would be ideal

As far as the free student tickets on the Penzberg city bus are concerned, for example, Korpan points out that the MVV has an “attractive offer” of a 365 euro ticket for students and trainees, with which they can travel from Penzberg to Munich could drive.

It cannot be ruled out that the district will finance such a ticket for schoolchildren,

During the negotiations he will also advocate Penzberg being included in tariff zone 5/6 (instead of zone 6).

It would be ideal, says Korpan.

Armin Jabs (BfP) recently calculated that a single ticket from Penzberg to Munich would then cost 13 instead of 14.80 euros.

Korpan also considers a separate tariff zone for passengers who only travel in Penzberg to be conceivable.

But the question is whether this is possible and sensible.

That, too, he says, ultimately has to be decided by the city council.