Mobility - State transport minister sees Germany ticket in danger
Baden-Württemberg's Transport Minister Winfried Hermann (Greens) fears that the Deutschlandticket will fail. "I am simply very worried that something is going wrong. We have far too little funding and we are taking on a lot," he told the magazine "Spiegel". "The federal states only got involved in the Deutschlandticket experiment for good reason, because the federal government is covering half of the costs."
He accused the federal government of "changing the rules of the game in the middle of the game". This was not good style and would create a funding gap.
Hermann was referring to a cut of 350 million euros in federal funding for regional transport announced by the Federal Ministry of Finance. "The 350 million is probably exactly the amount that will remain from the federal funds in 2023 and is to be carried over into the next year. Now the Ministry of Finance presumably wants to cut it. That would be audacious and also a major threat to the Deutschlandticket," explained the transport minister.
Ten million customers
The Association of German Transport Companies (VDV) pointed out that ten million customers had used the Deutschlandticket - including one million new customers who would otherwise have traveled by car or bicycle. "The Deutschlandticket has established itself since its launch in May 2023," VDV President Ingo Wortmann told Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND).
This shows the overall potential of the Deutschlandticket for climate protection, added the head of the association. "We need to persuade even more customers to switch from car to public transport. To do this, we need a secure and long-term financing perspective for the Deutschlandticket." It has not yet been clarified who will bear any additional costs for the Deutschlandticket in 2024. The current price of 49 euros could be raised next May.
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- Despite the concerns expressed by Winfried Hermann, the Germany ticket has been popular among consumers, with ten million customers using it since its launch in May 2023.
- The cut of 350 million euros in federal funding for regional transport announced by the Federal Ministry of Finance could pose a significant threat to the continuation of the Germany ticket, according to Baden-Württemberg's Transport Minister Winfried Hermann.
- The Deutschlandticket, which includes free travel on trains in Germany, has led to a shift in mobility habits, with one million new customers opting for public transport instead of using their cars or bicycles.
- The regional transport sector, represented by the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV), argues that a secure and long-term financing perspective for the Germany ticket is necessary to persuade even more customers to switch to public transport, reducing traffic and promoting sustainability.
Source: www.stern.de
