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There is still space: passengers with bicycles in the Berlin S-Bahn
Photo: Sabine Brose / Frank Sorge / IMAGO
The operators are demanding significantly more money from the state for the planned nine-euro monthly tickets for buses and trains in summer.
With the 2.5 billion euros promised by the federal government so far, only loss of income could be compensated for, according to the Federal Association of Local Rail Transport as the organization of the regional transport associations on Monday in a Bundestag hearing.
However, there will also be additional costs in operation – for example for additional staff and vehicles.
That would be "a gigantic act," said Deputy Managing Director Robert Dorn.
The association of transport companies estimates the number of ticket users at around 30 million per month.
According to a survey, the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr alone estimates that 2.5 to 3 million people will buy the ticket - half of all adults who do not yet have a subscription, plus one million regular customers whose subscription is reduced to nine euros.
For the risk that even more passengers than expected will result in higher costs, the industry is demanding an “obligation to make additional payments” from the federal government
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It's a big experiment.
The question is also what happens after the three months.
The tickets are so unbeatably cheap that there will of course be a price jump in September - if only because of the return to the current tariffs.
At the same time, suppliers would have to pay more for energy costs.
Therefore, longer-term financial commitments for local public transport (ÖPNV) are necessary.
In June, July and August, the special tickets are intended to enable travel in local and regional transport throughout Germany – for nine euros a month each, which is much cheaper than normal monthly tickets.
This is part of the traffic light coalition's relief package because of the high energy prices.
At the same time, it should be a trial offer to attract customers.
Unsafe to take bikes with you
In view of the expected crowds, some industry experts doubt whether the campaign will actually be an advertisement for local transport.
It is already becoming apparent that many trains will be cramped and that taking bicycles with you may become a problem.
The General German Bicycle Club (ADFC) has now warned against restricting this service during the nine-euro campaign.
The Pro Bahn passenger association had requested this.
The summer months are the main season for cycle tourism, the ADFC announced on Monday.
In 2021 as a whole, more than five million people came by bike for day trips or by train.
"It would also be a disaster in terms of climate policy if all these climate-friendly travelers were forced to drive by car instead of taking the train to the Baltic Coast Cycle Path, to the Allgäu or to Lake Constance in 2022." Deutsche Bahn expects very full trains and advises against them Bicycle transport from.
The entrainment could not be guaranteed, she said.
The ADFC expressed general skepticism about the nine-euro ticket at the hearing in the Bundestag's Transport Committee.
"It's too short-term and not a sustainable offer, because the cheap ticket doesn't change anything about the poor availability of public transport, especially in rural areas," said Federal Managing Director Ann-Kathrin Schneider.
It is more important to make public transport cheaper in the long term and to improve and expand the offer.
Bavaria threatens to blockade the Bundesrat
The demand that the federal government must provide significantly more money for the expansion and modernization of public transport was underlined by practically all experts in the Bundestag hearing.
Otherwise, the nine-euro ticket threatens to become "the nail in the coffin of the private bus industry," warned Christiane Leonard, general manager of the Federal Association of German Bus Operators.
Tariff increases would actually be necessary to compensate for drastically more expensive energy.
In addition, several local trains would be combined by changing to long-distance travel.
This offer "cannibalizes" bus trips, with which the entrepreneurs otherwise earned money in the summer.
From the autumn, bankruptcies and route closures are to be feared, especially in rural areas.
Matthias Stoffregen from the Mofair railway competitor alliance complained that the debate had a "slip side": It was problematic to treat car traffic with a tank discount of 3.2 billion euros and public transport with a discount campaign of around three billion euros in the same way.
The railways are being hit much harder by higher energy costs because electricity prices on the exchange are currently skyrocketing – and should be subsidized more in order to avoid using fossil fuels.
Nevertheless, the local transport industry is doing "everything to make the nine-euro ticket a success."
Because »if it becomes a catalyst for more passengers, we have all gained a lot together«.
The Bundestag and Bundesrat are to pass the financing law for the ticket this week.
From the countries, however, demands for more money and warnings of failure were once again loud.
Bavaria's Transport Minister Christian Bernreiter (CSU) threatened a blockade on Friday in the Bundesrat.
The federal states are demanding that the federal government significantly increase the regionalization funds with which the federal states and associations pay for transport services from the providers.
Deutsche Bahn had announced the start of ticket sales for May 23 – if the law passes.
ak/dpa-afx