The Bundestag has cleared the way for the planned 9-euro ticket, which should enable people to travel by bus and train at greatly reduced prices for three months.
The law, which was passed late Thursday evening with the votes of the traffic light coalition and the left, regulates the financing of the project by the federal government.
However, the planned subsidy of 2.5 billion euros does not go far enough for some countries, which is why the approval of the Federal Council, which is also necessary on Friday, is still open.
According to the plans of the SPD, Greens and FDP, there will be monthly tickets for 9 euros in June, July and August, with which you can use all buses and trains throughout Germany in local and regional transport.
The loss of income should be compensated by the federal government.
The project is part of the relief package with which the coalition is reacting to the sharp rise in energy prices.
At the same time, it is a "huge opportunity" for climate-friendly mobility, explained Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) at the final plenary debate.
From his point of view, the 9-euro ticket is already a success: "The whole of Germany is talking about local public transport." The project is also being noticed internationally.
The opposition, however, stuck to their criticism: the CDU MP Michael Donth spoke of an "expensive experiment".
He called for an "additional payment obligation" to compensate for the skyrocketing costs of bus and train companies.
Wolfgang Wiehle from the AfD warned of an “unsuccessful party” at the end of which many small and medium-sized companies could go bankrupt.
The left voted for the 9-euro ticket, but the project doesn't actually go far enough for their long-time party leader Bernd Riexinger: "Three months are simply not enough."