(In the last sentence: 16.7 cents (instead of: euros) per liter of diesel)
BERLIN (dpa-AFX) – Buses and trains throughout Germany will be drastically cheaper for millions of passengers in summer. On Friday, the Federal Council cleared the way for 9-euro monthly tickets in June, July and August, which are valid everywhere in local and regional transport. This means that nationwide sales at the railways and other providers can start this Monday, in some places it is already running. The tickets, which are part of the relief packages from the traffic light coalition because of the high energy costs, should apply from June 1st. They should also be a great taster offer for local public transport (ÖPNV) – parallel to tax relief on fuel prices at gas stations.
Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) said in the Bundesrat that with the 9-euro ticket, public transport is now on everyone’s lips. “Many people who have so far been less interested in public transport want to give local transport a chance in the next three months.” The approval of the federal states was necessary for the punctual start. The Bundesrat approved the financing law passed by the Bundestag. According to this, the federal government is giving, among other things, 2.5 billion euros to compensate for the loss of income from transport providers. However, the federal states underpinned their urgent demands for more money for public transport in general.
The tickets cost a flat rate of 9 euros per calendar month – for any number of journeys in buses, trams, underground trains, S-Bahn trains and local and regional trains anywhere in Germany. Long-distance trains and long-distance buses cannot be used. Tickets can be bought from machines, counters or online from the transport company. The industry is also planning a joint Internet sales platform.
The tickets automatically relieve millions of commuters with subscriptions – because they are much cheaper than normal monthly passes. If you have a monthly or annual subscription, you should only be charged 9 euros for each of the three months. According to industry information, this should be regulated via reduced direct debit or reimbursement of the difference. It should be similar for semester or job tickets.
The chairwoman of the state transport ministers, Senator Maike Schaefer (Greens) from Bremen, spoke of a “great opportunity” for public transport to present itself as an attractive means of transport. In addition, the ticket is the climate-friendly answer to a tank discount that is also coming and is therefore absolutely necessary. The federal funds for regional transport in the states urgently need to be increased, otherwise the 9-euro ticket will fizzle out as a flash in the pan.
The practical implementation on site should be an effort for the transport company, as several ministers in the Bundesrat made clear. Schleswig-Holstein’s department head Bernd Buchholz (FDP) complained that it had now become a “friendly holiday ticket” that was also valid nationwide. This will mean that there will be less relief for commuters, but “the coasts will be overrun”, for example in traffic to the Baltic Sea or to the North Sea island of Sylt. He has already ordered millions of extra capacities for his country “so that we don’t sink into chaos”.
Wissing emphasized that the “mammoth project” was set up in a short time together with the countries and the industry. The main work now comes to the employees of the transport companies. On some days and on some routes there will be fuller trains. Such a cheap ticket leads to many users. “Perhaps we have to meet each other with a smile at one point or another if you can’t take a train and are waiting for the next one.” With the campaign time in summer, the tickets could be used for vacation trips. In addition, there are not three months of vacation, said Wissing with a view to commuters.
The ticket should now also relieve everyone who does not drive a car. That is basically a good approach, said the traffic expert of the Federal Government for the Environment and Nature Conservation (BUND), Jens Hilgenberg, of the German Press Agency. Even more important is permanently significantly more money for better offers in the area. “Thanks to the 9-euro ticket, there are no additional buses in rural areas.”
After the end of the promotional period, the ticket prices should also go back up to the normal tariffs. Consumer advocates have already warned that there could be a risk of price increases due to rising energy costs for buses and trains. It remains to be seen how great the willingness to switch among drivers is. Because at the same time there is a cost brake when refueling, which the Federal Council allowed to happen.
Specifically, the energy tax will also be reduced from June to the end of August. The tax rate for petrol is to be reduced by almost 30 cents and for diesel by 14 cents. The tax burden is reduced even further – because of course no VAT is due on the omitted part of the energy tax. As confirmed by the Federal Ministry of Finance, the total relief is 35.2 cents per liter of petrol and 16.7 cents per liter of diesel./sam/bf/DP/ngu