Görlitz (dpa/sn) - Görlitz and the neighboring Polish town of Zgorzelec are introducing a uniform tariff for cross-border local transport at the beginning of the new year. From January 2nd there will be the Europastadt ticket, with which buses and trains can be used on both sides of the Neisse. "We connect the transport networks of our cities," said Görlitz Mayor Octavian Ursu (CDU). A bus line operated by the Görlitzer Verkehrsbetriebe will be extended across the border in order to head for four stops in Zgorzelec in the future. There it is possible to change from and to Polish city buses without having to buy a new ticket.
Ursu spoke of a "special international transport link" that also improves cross-border mobility. A separate bus line had already been set up in 1991, which operated between Görlitz and Zgorzelec with its own tariff. After the loss of this connection, it became all the more important to create a new offer with a stronger link between the transport systems.
As a basis for this, Mayor Ursu and his counterpart Rafal Gronicz from Zgorzelec signed a cooperation agreement in October 2022. The partner cities are therefore jointly financing the cross-state extension of the Görlitz bus line. It runs every half hour from morning to evening on weekdays and at least every 60 minutes on weekends and public holidays. A single journey costs 1.80 euros. However, the Europastadt ticket is also available as a day and monthly pass. The vote for the planned sale of tickets on the Polish side in zloty is still ongoing, it said.
Görlitz and Zgorzelec declared themselves European cities in 1998. The 25th anniversary of the proclamation is expected to be celebrated in May 2023, Urzu announced.
