As of: February 27, 2024, 9:01 a.m
By: Jana Stabener
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Getting a driving license is becoming increasingly expensive in Germany.
Bernd Siggelkow from the Arche speaks of a “two-class society when it comes to mobility”.
“A driver’s license shouldn’t be a luxury,” says the founder of the aid organization “Die Arche,” Bernd Siggelkow,
BuzzFeed News Germany
, a portal from IPPEN.MEDIA.
“It is just as much a part of an adult’s standard of living as a school leaving certificate or a training position.” Particularly in villages, teenagers and young adults can hardly get from A to B without a driving license, which severely limits their quality of life.
In January and February 2024, learner drivers in Germany had to spend an average of 3,070 euros for their driving license.
This was the result of an industry survey by the Moving International Road Safety Association,
parts of the results of which are available to
BuzzFeed News Germany .
The organization periodically collects the average cost of the driver's license.
This time they were over 3,000 euros for the first time.
Arche founder Bernd Siggelkow calls for mobility in Germany to become fairer.
(Archive photo) © Wolfgang Kumm/dpa, Westend61/IMAGO, collage
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Driving license: “In Germany we have a two-class society when it comes to mobility”
While costs are rising, the “need to acquire a driving license is higher than ever before,” says Richard Goebelt, head of the vehicle and mobility division at the TÜV Association, to Die
Welt
.
But according to ADAC, only 22 percent of learner drivers are able to finance their driving license themselves.
About three to four years ago this rate was just under half.
The proportion of young people for whom the family covered all expenses rose from 39 to 56 percent over the same period.
For 2.2 million children affected by poverty in Germany, support from the family is not an option.
“The majority of them don’t get a driver’s license and have long since come to terms with it,” says Siggelkow.
If the office or employer doesn't pay for the driver's license, it simply doesn't work.
“Poverty is inherited.
If your parents couldn’t afford a driver’s license, that carries over to the next generation,” says the Arche founder.
“In Germany we have a two-class society when it comes to mobility.” The fact that the costs of car driving licenses have risen so sharply means that the gap between rich and poor when it comes to driving a car is widening even further.
More on the topic: Planned driving licenses from the age of 16 cause mixed feelings at Munich driving schools
Arche founder thinks: Employers should “pay for” driving licenses themselves
And how can we counteract this in the future?
“Employers who require a driver’s license for training should pay for it themselves,” demands Siggelkow.
“We need to give our young people more opportunities to become the workers we need,” he says.
Ulrich Schneider, general manager of the General Parity Association, believes: “If acquiring a driving license is a necessary prerequisite for starting work, those receiving citizenship benefit need a legal right to have the costs covered by the job centers,” he demands at
BuzzFeed News Germany.
He sees the main problem in driving itself: “Car-centric traffic is socially unfair and ecologically unsustainable,” he says.
Those who are poor cannot afford a driver's license, a car or a public transport ticket.
“We therefore first and foremost need a massive expansion of inclusive, sustainable and, if possible, free public transport – especially in rural areas.”
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