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Svenja Appuhn: Strong criticism of Transport Minister Wissing
Photo: dts news agency / IMAGO
The co-chair of the Green Youth Svenja Appuhn is calling on Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) to make local transport a top priority.
“Where the transport minister fails, the chancellor must act,” Appuhn told SPIEGEL.
"The Federal Transport Minister is driving local transport into the ground, the states are denying responsibility and the rest of the republic is watching in disbelief."
Appuhn is therefore calling for an annual 16 billion euro program to save local transport.
Appuhn is joining a demand from the Ver.di union and the climate activists Fridays for Future, who are demanding more investment in public transport from the federal government in the wake of the ongoing collective bargaining dispute.
»By 2030, there will be a shortage of around 100,000 bus drivers across Germany.
In the coalition agreement, the traffic light promises a significant increase in bus and train services by 2030, but we are currently moving in the opposite direction," says Appuhn.
She recently called for the resignation of Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing.
Despite several federal billions invested in the Deutschlandticket introduced by Volker Wissing, investments in local transport remained inadequate.
For years, the states have been pointing out that a transport turnaround would only be possible if the federal government significantly increased its payments, said Appuhn, "but this falls on deaf ears from the transport and finance ministers."
When it comes to the question of how the special program should be financed, the co-head of the green youth organization falls back on a well-known demand that can hardly win a majority in the traffic light.
She calls for a wealth tax on millionaires and billionaires.
"The super-rich wouldn't even notice this tax burden in their everyday lives, but the majority in this country could benefit from local transport that gets them to school and work punctually and reliably."
jmü/fin