After the 9-euro ticket: Transport companies are demanding a flat rate for public transport

Following the 9-euro ticket, there will also be a uniform flat rate for local public transport throughout Germany in the future.

The Association of Transport Companies (VDV) called for this and proposed a tariff of 69 euros per month for regional and city transport.

Corinna Budras

Business correspondent in Berlin.

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Johannes Pennekamp

Responsible editor for economic reporting, responsible for "The Lounge".

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"That has to be decided quickly, we can't wait until autumn," said VDV general manager Oliver Wolff in an editorial interview with the FAZ on Thursday in Berlin.

For this he received support from the Greens boss Ricarda Lang.

"We will discuss the model in the coalition, but one thing is clear: a follow-up regulation is needed that, as proposed by the Federal Minister of Transport, applies as uniformly as possible nationwide and is cheap, i.e. also socially."

Politically, such a quick regulation creates a major challenge, because the financing has to be secured first.

So far, the consensus has been that the drastic reduction in public transport prices to 9 euros a month will expire after three months at the end of August.

It is part of the federal government's first relief package in response to the Ukraine war and has met with great approval from the population: more than 31 million new users and subscribers benefited from the cheap tariff in June alone.

The VDV estimates the costs for such a 69-euro ticket to be around 2 billion euros a year.

They would be below the 2.5 billion euros that the federal government transfers to the states to compensate for the lost ticket income in the three months of the 9-euro ticket.

For financing, Wolff brought up the idea of ​​another special fund, such as that for the German Armed Forces.

In any case, a change in the law during the parliamentary summer break would be necessary for a successor regulation.

The plan so far is that the Bundestag will not meet again until September 6, but MPs may have to meet for a special session anyway.

"Invest in infrastructure"

The Green leader made it clear that she does not want to commit to a specific model.

Several suggestions are currently circulating, but it seems impossible that the 9-euro ticket will simply be extended.

The consumer centers want a ticket for 29 euros a month.

"We are faced with the task of having to achieve two goals at the same time," said Lang.

"We want a cheap ticket and at the same time improve the quality of the offer, which means investing in the infrastructure."

In contrast, the President of the German Association of Cities, Markus Lewe, warned that politicians should not give the impression "that the party just goes on".

He said: "We are not only experiencing a turning point, but a real break." He fears that, with energy and personnel costs continuing to rise, a completely different topic will soon dominate: "My concern is that the transport companies will thin out their services", warned Lewe, who is also mayor of Münster.

"Then we were able to enjoy public transport for another three months, but that was it." He called for the federal government to significantly increase its regionalization funds from currently around 10 billion euros over the next few years, so that the offer is not only maintained , but could also be expanded in the longer term.

The Green politician also shared the concern.

"It would be climate policy madness if we had to start reducing local public transport services now for cost reasons," she warned.

"And that wouldn't be socially acceptable either.

We can see right now how great the interest of the citizens in public transport is." She also sees the federal government as having an obligation when it comes to financing the additional costs of a uniform ticket: must bear a share.”

VDV general manager Wolff, on the other hand, advocated that the federal and state governments each share half the costs.

He also made it clear that beyond a new “Bahncard 100 for public transport” there must be different tariff offers at regional level.

There should continue to be a suitable offer for occasional drivers, such as one-off trips or 24-hour tickets.

On the other hand, there should be social tariffs for people who cannot afford a monthly ticket of 69 euros.

He therefore suggested finding a quick solution for September with a view to a uniform ticket, but then expanding the model further and putting it on a sustainable basis.