For 94.50 euros, an adult can explore the city of Frankfurt, including the airport, by bus and train for four weeks.
That's how much a monthly pass costs, and it's worth every penny.
For 194.10 euros, the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (RMV) offers a monthly ticket for journeys between Frankfurt and Wiesbaden, including the region between the two cities as well as Offenbach, Mainz, Bad Vilbel and Groß-Gerau.
This is also much cheaper than driving the car every day on the same route.
The regional transport offer in the Rhine-Main area is almost nationwide, comparatively inexpensive, environmentally friendly and overall no less reliable than car journeys in the metropolitan region.
The income of the RMV does not even cover half of the costs.
In 2020, with an expenditure of 1.8 billion euros, only 762 million euros from ticket sales flowed into the coffers of the transport association;
The federal, state and local governments have to compensate for the deficit year after year with tax revenue.
Socially unjust price reduction
Such a quality offer should never be sold below value.
But that is exactly what the traffic light coalition that governs the federal government intends to do.
Because of the high energy prices, local public transport should be usable nationwide for 90 days for only nine euros a month.
A downright absurd idea.
Firstly, a blanket price reduction is socially unfair because the wealthy also benefit from it.
Secondly, the implementation is associated with costs and bureaucracy, and thirdly, the radical discount gives the impression that local public transport is junk goods.
Nine euros for a month bus and train?
Then why not completely and permanently free of charge?
Just a few days ago, the RMV pointed out that it was facing a serious financing problem as a result of the Corona crisis.
Junk offers are the completely wrong answer.