By Stephen Peter
Is there now movement in the continuation of the 9-euro ticket? Finance Minister Christian Lindner (43, FDP) spoke on Twitter on Wednesday, promising a follow-up solution.
Transport Minister Volker Wissing (52, FDP) convinced him. For a fraction of the cost of the 9-euro ticket, he could “realize a digitally bookable ticket that can be used nationwide”. Lindner: “Now it’s the turn of the federal states.” If the financing is clear, the price can be set.
Transport Senator Bettina Jarasch (53, Greens) countered quickly: The federal government must clearly state what a fraction of the funding means. Because “a fraction is not enough when it comes to this important topic!”
Stephan Machulik (50, SPD) is skeptical anyway: “One day before the ticket expires, the Minister of Finance says nothing other than “If you pay, I have nothing against you continuing the ticket”. He just wants to distract from his own unwillingness and previous blockade,” said the politician to the BZ
Oliver Friederici (52, CDU) also criticizes Lindner: “It seems to me that he wants to delegate the problem of cost absorption to the federal states.” It remains to be seen whether the 9-euro ticket will cost 29 or 59 euros in the future.
The Senate wants to introduce a cheap ticket in Berlin from October – as a bridge to a nationwide solution from 2023. If that really comes up…