Traffic turnaround - D-Ticket instead of a car: Frankfurt introduces environmental bonus
With a Germany ticket for a year, the city Frankfurt aims to encourage car owners to deregister their cars. The city intends to reward people with the annual pass who deregister their cars permanently, stated Mobility Minister Wolfgang Siefert (Greens) in Frankfurt on Friday. The environmental bonus starts on July 1 and equals the value of 588 Euro - the equivalent of 12 months of the Germany ticket.
Eligible are citizens who have their primary residence in Frankfurt and have scrapped or sold their vehicle with a combustion engine to a non-household member within the past three months. Regardless of whether it's the first, second, or third car, this factor does not matter.
"In inner-city areas, vehicles that are still in private ownership are often more parked than driven - they are actually parked most of the week," said Siefert. The city aims to facilitate the switch from private cars to eco-friendly transportation methods with the Germany ticket. "We hope very much that this pilot project in Frankfurt will receive a good response," said the Green politician.
The manager of the Traffic Company Frankfurt (VGF), Tom Reinhold, anticipates around 50 to 60 applications per month. Based on estimates, the city expects annual costs of up to 420,000 Euro for the bonus - a total budget of half a million Euro is available for the bonus. After a year, the project will be reviewed to determine if it should be continued.
Application for the Bonus in Marburg
A purely digital application process is not possible yet - among other reasons, because an extract from the vehicle registration document from the Federal Motor Transport Authority is required. Siefert explained that data protection is also a concern: "We would rather have done it digitally, but that's not possible." To receive the bonus, applicants must provide proof of car deregistration and submit an application for the environmental bonus before receiving the chip card with the Germany ticket.
To prevent misuse, random checks will be conducted on beneficiaries to ensure they have not purchased a new car. "The car should really be scrapped and then gone and not bought again right away," said Reinhold.
Mobility Minister Siefert emphasized that a shift from individual traffic is a logical consequence for a city like Frankfurt to meet transportation demands. Private car traffic takes up significantly more urban space.
The city of Marburg recently introduced a bonus for deregistering cars. Those who deregister or scrap their private vehicle in Marburg for a year receive a bonus worth up to 1250 Euro. With a voucher, people in the middle Hessian city can use Carsharing for a year, travel by bus and train, or pay in shops and restaurants.
- Interested individuals in Frankfurt can apply for the environmental bonus associated with the Germany ticket, which encourages car deregistration.
- The climate and environment are key considerations in Frankfurt's initiative, as the city aims to incentivize the switch from private cars to eco-friendly transportation methods.
- The environmental bonus, worth 588 Euro, is applicable to Frankfurt residents who have permanently deregistered their combustion engine vehicles within the past three months.
- In Marburg, residents can also avail of a similar bonus, receiving up to 1250 Euro for deregistering their vehicles for a year, which can be used for Carsharing, public transportation, or shopping and dining vouchers.
- Following the completion of the Germany ticket project in Frankfurt, the city will assess its success and consider whether to continue it in the future.
- While the application process for the environmental bonus in Frankfurt is not yet fully digital, it requires proof of car deregistration and submission of an application before issuing the Germany ticket chip card.
