From June onwards, citizens can use local public transport for three months for the unbeatable price of 9 euros per month.

But as early as autumn, the ticket prices could not only rise back to the normal tariff, but well beyond that.

"We fear that the ticket prices will go through the roof afterwards," warned Baden-Württemberg's Transport Minister Winfried Hermann (Greens) after a meeting with his 15 ministerial colleagues from the federal states.

They are therefore demanding that the federal government pay a further 1.5 billion euros to compensate for the high energy costs and to finance the expansion of regional rail transport.

This is the only way to maintain the previous price level.

Corinna Budras

Business correspondent in Berlin.

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An additional amount of 1.5 billion euros would be a significant increase in the funds already promised: Every year, the federal government has to pay the federal states so-called regionalization funds of 8.2 billion euros so that they can finance local rail transport.

In addition, there will also be a “corona protection shield” of 1.2 billion euros this year, which is intended to compensate for the loss of ticket income caused by the pandemic.

And finally, the federal government has promised to fully cover the costs for the big discount campaign in the summer.

According to estimates by the federal states, the transport companies will lose 2.5 billion euros as a result of the 9-euro ticket.

The federal government also covers this amount, after all, the red-green-yellow federal government surprisingly decided in a night-time meeting at the end of March to include an offer for local public transport in the relief package for citizens.

This is intended to lure people onto the buses and trains, who have previously mainly used cars.

No promise of additional funding

The federal states made it clear that they have a great interest in implementing the 9 euro ticket from June 1st.

However, they would also make their approval in the Bundesrat dependent on the negotiations with the federal government in the coming weeks.

"We can't imagine that people get excited about public transport for three months and then in the end can't maintain the quality or have to increase tariffs because the regionalization funds aren't there," emphasized Bremen's Senator for Transport, Meike Schäfer.

Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) did not want to make any promises for the additional funding, but insisted that a “transparent procedure” be created beforehand, in which the use of the funds by the federal states could also be precisely traced.

In addition, the federal government is not aware of the amounts paid by the states to finance local transport.

The Federal Court of Auditors also demanded this transparency.

The state transport ministers did not want to let that sit on their backs: they firmly rejected the accusation.