Coalition proposal irritated: 9 euros or free public transport?

Use public buses and trains for 90 days for 9 euros a month, i.e. for a total of 27 euros - the surprising initiative by the government coalition should sound great, especially for passengers.

But the idea initially caused irritation among the federal states, transport associations and companies: How should the nationwide uniform offer be implemented quickly in the complex network of public transport tariff regulations, association boundaries, financial and regional responsibilities?

And who should pay for that?

In a special conference of the transport ministers of the federal and state governments on Friday, things were said to be very busy, and the consultations lasted much longer than planned.

After that, many questions remained unanswered about the concrete implementation.

But according to the chairwoman of the Conference of Transport Ministers, Bremen Mayor Maike Schaefer, nobody fundamentally questioned the idea.

Nevertheless, there was much criticism of the government's actions.

Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) then explained the first details: According to this, the cheaper tickets should only be sold online in order to keep the administrative effort as low as possible.

According to Wissing, passengers who already have a subscription should also benefit from the discount.

The costs for subscriptions would then not be debited - or reimbursed, the minister made clear on Friday.

The 9-euro tickets would then be valid in the network areas where the usual monthly ticket would have been valid.

Working group to promote cheap tickets

Wissing spoke of costs amounting to 2.5 billion euros, which the federal government would reimburse the federal states.

If more money is needed, the federal government will not refuse.

The federal and state governments should now advance the concrete implementation as quickly as possible in a working group.

At the meeting on Friday, the federal states had primarily expressed concerns about the bureaucratic effort and, in response to the federal government's proposal, made their own recommendation: Instead of 9-euro tickets, a three-month zero tariff should be introduced instead.

In this way, the administrative effort for the transport associations can be kept low, emphasized Schaefer.

"In this respect, this is now a recommendation that should be examined in a federal-state working group," she said.

The costs would have to be borne entirely by the federal government.

Wissing rejected the idea.

With a 9-euro ticket, the demand from customers can be understood much better than with a free ticket.

"With the 9-euro ticket, you know the number of additional passengers and can plan accordingly, thereby avoiding occasional overloads," he said.

The recommendation of the state ministries revealed the continuing disagreement between the federal and state governments on the issue.

After the meeting, some transport ministers vented their displeasure.

He was very dissatisfied with the decision, said Baden-Württemberg's Green Minister of Transport, Winfried Hermann.

The coalition's advance does not do justice to the problem.

Like many of his colleagues, Hermann emphasized that free local public transport would be the better solution.

The idea is his "quick fix", a "bait offer"

In terms of the climate, too, the federal government remains obliged to do more to make public transport more attractive, said Hermann.

This requires more vehicles, more lines and more individual offers, especially for rural areas.

With regard to the recently sharp rise in energy prices, Hermann reminded them that they had risen sharply even before the Ukraine war and would continue to rise in the future.

The federal states led by the Union also expressed fundamental criticism of the initiative.

The idea was his "quick fix", a "lure offer," said Bavaria's Transport Minister Christian Bernreiter (CSU).

He also spoke on behalf of the other countries in which the SPD does not lead the coalition.

Municipalities and transport associations have no idea how to implement the decision.

He also sees a disadvantage in rural areas, as fewer people use local public transport here due to the long distances.

However, commuters in rural areas should also be relieved more.

Changes to vehicle tax, for example, would be desirable, and in general “the last word has not yet been spoken” on the question.

For passengers and subscription holders it means: wait and see

Despite the skepticism from the federal states, Federal Minister Wissing was confident on Friday that the working group could now be set up quickly and come to results.

Starting the cheap monthly tickets on May 1st is a “not unrealistic option”.

The transport industry also assumes internally that the implementation will be feasible by then.

After the meeting on Friday, “the transport companies and associations, coordinated by the VDV industry association and other transport associations, will now immediately start implementing the offer,” the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV) announced in the afternoon.

"There are still numerous details to be clarified and coordinated across the industry and with politicians."

For passengers and subscription holders, this initially means: wait and see.

Transport companies and associations will therefore inform all customers as soon as the general conditions have been clarified.