Why German politicians are bickering over the €9 transport ticket
A heavily reduced public transport ticket is set to come into force in June. But German states are unhappy about the funding.
What's happening?
Germany is set to bring in a €9 per month public transport ticket for June, July and August. It's part of the energy relief package, which is meant to help out residents affected by massive price hikes in the cost of living and energy crisis. It's also aimed at getting people away from their cars to help the environment.
READ ALSO: How many people in Germany will use the €9 ticket?
Is everything going smoothly?
Transport companies are already updating their ticket machines, but apparently not everyone is happy.
Even though all 16 German states have given a resounding 'yes' to the €9 ticket, they say they are still not happy with the funding aspect - and they are warning that ticket prices could rise significantly for passengers in autumn.
The government has pledged €2.5 billion to the states to pay for the measure, as well as support for Covid-related losses. Transport Minister Volker Wissing. of the Free Democrats (FDP), said states would also receive the revenue of the €9 ticket from customers who take advantage of the offer.
"For this '9 for 90 ticket', the €2.5 billion is a complete assumption of the costs by the federal government," said Wissing on Thursday. "In addition, the states are also allowed to keep the nine euros, so they are very well funded here."
However, federal states wants a further €1.5 billion in order to increase staff, deal with extra fuel costs and to plan for the expansion of local transport in Germany.
State transport ministers warned on Thursday of rising fares across the board without extra funding for the future.
Ticket prices and timetables can only be maintained if the money from the federal government is there, said Baden-Württemberg's transport minister Winfried Hermann (Greens), in a report by the Süddeutsche Zeitung. Otherwise, prices could "shoot through the roof" he said.
Will the ticket go ahead in June?
The dispute over finances has overshadowed the planned launch of the biggest discount campaign in German local transport for decades.
According to current plans, the reduced ticket is to start in just a few weeks time. It will cost €9 per calendar month or €27 in total. It is intended to compensate for higher energy costs, and to give Germans an incentive to switch from car to local transport in the long term. However, the funding issue threatens to throw a spanner in the works.
The €9 ticket plans still have to be approved by the Bundestag and the Bundesrat, which is set to happen later in May. If this dispute isn't resolved, states could refuse to pass the initiative in the Bundesrat, which would jeopardise the launch of the ticket in June.
North Rhine-Westphalia's transport minister Ina Brandes (CDU) spoke on Thursday of a "flash in the pan" instead of a "beacon" in view of the looming financial gap in local public transport.
Petra Berg (SPD), the transport minister of Saarland, warned that public transport companies would be "on the brink of collapse" after the end of the campaign.
The chair of the state transport ministers' conference, Bremen's Maike Schaefer (Greens), said ministers didn't want to see people lured onto public transport for three months "and then in the end the quality can't be maintained or fares have to be increased because these important regionalisation funds are not there".
Schaefer added that the doubling of passengers planned by the government by 2030 for climate protection would not be possible without extra money.
However, Wissing said the issue of long-term funding should be discussed separately.
"The states want a structural increase in regionalisation funds," he said. "That's another issue that has nothing to do with this and that has to be discussed elsewhere."
Wissing said he was open to allowing more funding for local transport in principle, but said more transparency from states regarding spending was needed.
READ ALSO: How to explore Germany by train with the €9 ticket
He also said that budgets were tight and that state had little money to spare.
However, Wissing believes the government and states can reach a deal to get the €9 ticket out in time for the June launch.
"I am very confident that we will reach an agreement on this issue as well," he said.
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What's happening?
Germany is set to bring in a €9 per month public transport ticket for June, July and August. It's part of the energy relief package, which is meant to help out residents affected by massive price hikes in the cost of living and energy crisis. It's also aimed at getting people away from their cars to help the environment.
READ ALSO: How many people in Germany will use the €9 ticket?
Is everything going smoothly?
Transport companies are already updating their ticket machines, but apparently not everyone is happy.
Even though all 16 German states have given a resounding 'yes' to the €9 ticket, they say they are still not happy with the funding aspect - and they are warning that ticket prices could rise significantly for passengers in autumn.
The government has pledged €2.5 billion to the states to pay for the measure, as well as support for Covid-related losses. Transport Minister Volker Wissing. of the Free Democrats (FDP), said states would also receive the revenue of the €9 ticket from customers who take advantage of the offer.
"For this '9 for 90 ticket', the €2.5 billion is a complete assumption of the costs by the federal government," said Wissing on Thursday. "In addition, the states are also allowed to keep the nine euros, so they are very well funded here."
However, federal states wants a further €1.5 billion in order to increase staff, deal with extra fuel costs and to plan for the expansion of local transport in Germany.
State transport ministers warned on Thursday of rising fares across the board without extra funding for the future.
Ticket prices and timetables can only be maintained if the money from the federal government is there, said Baden-Württemberg's transport minister Winfried Hermann (Greens), in a report by the Süddeutsche Zeitung. Otherwise, prices could "shoot through the roof" he said.
Will the ticket go ahead in June?
The dispute over finances has overshadowed the planned launch of the biggest discount campaign in German local transport for decades.
According to current plans, the reduced ticket is to start in just a few weeks time. It will cost €9 per calendar month or €27 in total. It is intended to compensate for higher energy costs, and to give Germans an incentive to switch from car to local transport in the long term. However, the funding issue threatens to throw a spanner in the works.
The €9 ticket plans still have to be approved by the Bundestag and the Bundesrat, which is set to happen later in May. If this dispute isn't resolved, states could refuse to pass the initiative in the Bundesrat, which would jeopardise the launch of the ticket in June.
North Rhine-Westphalia's transport minister Ina Brandes (CDU) spoke on Thursday of a "flash in the pan" instead of a "beacon" in view of the looming financial gap in local public transport.
Petra Berg (SPD), the transport minister of Saarland, warned that public transport companies would be "on the brink of collapse" after the end of the campaign.
The chair of the state transport ministers' conference, Bremen's Maike Schaefer (Greens), said ministers didn't want to see people lured onto public transport for three months "and then in the end the quality can't be maintained or fares have to be increased because these important regionalisation funds are not there".
Schaefer added that the doubling of passengers planned by the government by 2030 for climate protection would not be possible without extra money.
However, Wissing said the issue of long-term funding should be discussed separately.
"The states want a structural increase in regionalisation funds," he said. "That's another issue that has nothing to do with this and that has to be discussed elsewhere."
Wissing said he was open to allowing more funding for local transport in principle, but said more transparency from states regarding spending was needed.
READ ALSO: How to explore Germany by train with the €9 ticket
He also said that budgets were tight and that state had little money to spare.
However, Wissing believes the government and states can reach a deal to get the €9 ticket out in time for the June launch.
"I am very confident that we will reach an agreement on this issue as well," he said.
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