The 9-euro ticket expires in just over three weeks. The supposed bargain ticket started with a lot of symbolism: punks, who had actually disappeared from German train stations since the 1990s, reappeared on Sylt with cans of beer and danced in Westerland's fountain. The campaign was donated by an FDP-led Ministry of Transport, of all things, which required billions in subsidies.
But now, shortly before the ticket expires, it is becoming apparent that this gift will fall on the Liberals' toes. First there is the financing for a possible follow-up offer, which has not been clarified. Bavaria refuses to take over part of the costs, the SPD is pushing for co-financing from the states.
The bogeyman is Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP), who only says what was actually clear from the start: In his financial planning there is no more money for a continuation of the 9-euro ticket.
In addition, it has not yet been clarified what the follow-up offer should look like. The Greens want to curtail the company car privilege, which companies can use to deduct the costs of company cars from taxes. With the money saved, they want to finance a regional ticket for 29 euros and a nationwide ticket for 49 euros a month.
As soon as the proposal was on the table, Lindner's criticism followed: He sees it as a "free mentality à la unconditional basic income". With this insight he is way too late.
At least since the so-called relief package, the 9-euro ticket and fuel discount, it has been clear: Such symbolic, state interventions in the market may cause too much applause in the short term, but they are and will remain disproportionately expensive - and therefore cannot be implemented in the long term.
Anyone who bends over backwards as a liberal in a coalition and betrays his ideals, months later, the applause will not help much. Instead, he is sure to have trouble from those who must now return their gift - or who are eagerly awaiting the next one.
In the next election, a governing party will probably be judged less by the thwarted plans of its coalition partner and more by whether it has managed to keep its election promises. If the 9-euro ticket has shown millions of Germans something, then it is the need for reform of the ailing transport network. It would be more convincing to invest in exactly this.
