Association of Cities - Deutschlandticket: Bavarian municipalities may opt out
The Bavarian Association of Cities and Towns has not ruled out the possibility of local public transport operators in Bavaria withdrawing from the Deutschlandticket. The district council of Stendal in Saxony-Anhalt had decided that the ticket would no longer be valid on buses there from January. Achim Sing, spokesperson for the Bavarian Association of Cities and Towns, said that the local authorities, as public transport authorities, "have insufficient federal and state funding available for 2024". It is "quite possible that local authorities will have to decide not to continue using the Deutschlandticket due to a tight budget situation".
Bavaria's Transport Minister Christian Bernreiter (CSU) told the German Press Agency: "I don't currently see any decisions like the one from Stendal for Bavaria." However, the conference of transport ministers must find a permanent solution at the beginning of next year. "We will also have to discuss a price increase." The monthly ticket currently costs 49 euros.
Funding for the Deutschlandticket is secured until the end of April, said a ministry spokeswoman in Munich. The local authorities would pay the public transport companies compensation for the shortfall in revenue and the Free State would compensate the local authorities for these costs in accordance with standardized nationwide guidelines.
The Bavarian Association of Cities and Towns assumes that the municipalities will use the Deutschlandticket at least until the end of April. The Free State is responsible for making up any shortfall with state funds. However, if the Conference of Transport Ministers does not present a concept by February at the latest "that does not unilaterally shift the financing risk onto the local authorities, the Association of Cities and Towns believes that the continued existence of the Deutschlandticket is seriously in doubt," said Sing. The Deutschlandticket is secure if the Free State orders the municipalities to use it and assumes responsibility for financing together with the federal government.
Although the federal and state governments agree that the Deutschlandticket should continue to exist, they do not agree on who will bear the additional costs. The Association of German Transport Companies (VDV) expects a shortfall in revenue of 6.4 billion euros this year and next, while the federal and state governments have so far pledged six billion. Around ten million people currently use the Deutschland-Ticket.
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Source: www.stern.de
