9-euro ticket: Bavaria, BaWü and Mecklenburg are threatened with a blockade in the Bundesrat

Baden-Württemberg Transport Minister Winfried Hermann (Greens) has warned of the end of the nine-euro ticket in the Bundesrat: If the federal government is not prepared to increase funding for local transport, "the entire package of tank discounts and nine-euro Ticket in the Federal Council fail," he told the "Süddeutsche Zeitung".

Above all, the FDP does not take the warning call from the federal states seriously because of impending financial problems.

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania's Transport Minister Reinhard Meyer (SPD) is also demanding further commitments from the federal government before the 9-euro ticket is introduced.

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania will decide on Tuesday how it will decide in the forthcoming vote, Meyer said on Sunday.

"My recommendation is: No approval as long as the federal government does not provide additional regionalization funds to make the public transport offer sustainable." Otherwise, the 9-euro ticket as an incentive makes no sense.

Bavaria's Transport Minister Christian Bernreiter (CSU) had previously made a similar statement. 

The ticket should be valid for nine euros per month nationwide on public transport for the period June, July and August.

The federal government wants to fully reimburse the federal states for the forecast ticket revenue shortfall of 2.5 billion euros.

However, the federal states are pushing for more money from the federal government, also beyond the expected loss of income due to the temporary reduction in ticket prices - partly because of the higher energy prices for the transport companies.

"All federal states, regardless of the coalition colors, have made it clear together that the fundamental financing problems of public transport will not be solved by the nine-euro ticket," said Baden-Württemberg Minister Hermann.

Without an increase in federal funds to compensate for extremely increased costs, the special discount in the summer will “end in ticket price increases afterwards”.

Advertising for public transport would become a deterrent.

The ticket is part of the relief package for citizens that the federal government has decided to cushion the enormous increase in energy costs.

Among other things, a temporary reduction in the tax on fuel and a one-off energy price lump sum of 300 euros for all income taxpayers are also planned.

The Federal Council is scheduled to vote on the package on Friday. 

SPD parliamentary group deputy Detlef Müller warned the countries against a veto: "People are looking forward to the ticket, and anything other than its quick introduction on June 1st from tactical games would produce great frustration," he told the "Handelsblatt".

"The companies have made enormous efforts to ensure that the ticket is a success, the financing is secured, so failure in the Bundesrat would be embarrassing for the states in the first place."

"Three Months of Consolation"

Consumers can buy the so-called 9-euro monthly ticket from Deutsche Bahn from May 23 - provided the Bundestag and Bundesrat agree to the project.

The ticket is then available via the DB Navigator app and all other digital rail channels, the group announced on Sunday.

"It will also be available at around 5,500 Deutsche Bahn ticket machines and in over 400 DB travel centers in train stations," it said.