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Magdeburg (dpa / sa) - In Saxony-Anhalt, a little more than 900 young people have so far bought the new cheaper trainee ticket.
There are currently 927 valid monthly subscriptions, said a spokesman for the state's own local transport company (NASA) at the request of the German press agency.
That is a good start.
"If things go well, our calculations show 5000 to 7000 users to be realistic."
He is confident that sales will pick up speed, said SPD parliamentary group vice-president Andreas Steppuhn.
The pre-sale including advertising only started in December and still there are already many users.
If word of the offer continues to get around and the corona-related restrictions no longer apply, there could be a boost.
In Saxony-Anhalt, since January 1st, apprentices have been able to use local trains, buses and trams with a discounted monthly ticket throughout the state.
For this they pay 50 euros per month.
This year and next, the state will each contribute 12.8 million euros to keep the costs for the trainees low.
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With the trainee ticket, the country is implementing a long-standing demand from economic chambers, associations and unions.
The proponents hope for another building block to make dual vocational training more attractive.
For years there have been cheaper tickets for students in many places, but not for trainees, argued the Magdeburg Chamber of Crafts.
Many young people sometimes have to travel long distances to the training company and vocational school.
The CDU-led transport ministry had long rejected the introduction of an apprentice ticket as too expensive.
For the last budget before the state elections in June, the financial experts of the black-red-green coalition still provided money.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210201-99-249256 / 2
Information on the trainee ticket and the scope of application