Karlsruhe (dpa/lsw) - From the point of view of the Mayor of Karlsruhe, Frank Mentrup, the planned 49-euro ticket endangers the expansion of local public transport and should therefore be questioned again. The fact that the state is co-financing the Germany ticket should not lead to cutbacks elsewhere, as announced by Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann (Greens), the SPD politician told the German Press Agency on Friday. "Otherwise we can't even maintain the quality standards." He warned that the expansion of public transport should not come to a standstill.
Because from Mentrup's point of view, the new local transport ticket will hardly contribute to the traffic turnaround. 49 euros are not enough to compensate for the expenses of the transport company, said the mayor, who is also chairman of the supervisory board of the Karlsruher Verkehrsverbund (KVV). "But 49 euros is too much to find a significant number of new customers." In his estimation, the ticket would primarily be used by people who already have monthly or annual tickets – mostly more expensive – and who will be able to travel throughout Germany on local buses and trains in the future for less money.
According to his information, a higher-level platform for selling the 49-euro ticket, including a tracking function for travelers through the republic, should also be developed for one billion euros, said the head of the town hall. Mentrup criticized this as sheer waste. "You want to do it super good and super digital," he said. "But we can better use the money elsewhere."
