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Schwerin (dpa / mv) - With the trainee ticket on the smartphone, public transport has been significantly cheaper for young people in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania since Monday.
As the Ministry of Transport announced, around 550 holders across the country had the digital ticket at the start.
As an annual ticket, the trainee ticket costs 365 euros and allows travel by buses, trams or regional trains.
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK) in the country welcomed the long-requested introduction of the trainee ticket as an important cost reduction for trainees.
According to a recent IHK survey, every fourth apprentice in the country needs more than 90 minutes to attend vocational school.
Half of the companies already contribute to the travel and accommodation costs and want to continue to do so in the future.
The DGB had demanded that the employers also pay the apprentices' own share and thus provide a free public transport ticket.
Apprentices, students at technical high schools, volunteers and civil service candidates can use the ticket not only for the way to the place of work or vocational school, but also in their free time.
The state provides five million euros per year to compensate for the loss of income for the transport companies.
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Criticism came from the regional association of the Pro Bahn association.
The trainee ticket is a lucrative price offer for trainees.
But for many it is of no use because they cannot get from home to vocational school by public transport in a reasonable time.
In some cases, daily arrival is even impossible.
Therefore it makes sense to invest the state funds for the trainee ticket "first in an expansion of the bus and train offer", it said in a message from Pro Bahn.
According to surveys by the Ministry of Transport, around 34,000 young people in the country could benefit from the ticket.
According to forecasts, up to 10,000 would use it.
The ministry expects a significantly greater demand as soon as the currently severely restricted teaching operations normalize again.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210201-99-255843 / 2