Dresden (dpa / sn) - The Verkehrsverbund Oberelbe (VVO) will increase its prices by eleven percent in the coming year. The reason for this is, among other things, the sharp rise in energy costs, as can be seen from a statement by the VVO after an association meeting on Thursday. The adjustment will be made on April 1st. This is also necessary because of new wage agreements for employees and increased prices for fuel and materials.
The area of the VVO extends over the districts of Meißen, Bautzen and Saxon Switzerland-Eastern Ore Mountains as well as over Dresden. It has a total of 1.2 million inhabitants. The income of the association, which is divided into twelve companies, is estimated to have fallen by around seven million euros in 2022 compared to the previous year. The reason for this is, among other things, that at the beginning of this year significantly fewer passengers used public transport due to the corona pandemic.
While the number of passengers stabilized again over the course of the year thanks to the 9-euro ticket and the start of the new training year, the sharp increase in energy prices had an impact on households, according to the VVO. Nevertheless, the association has decided on a budget with a record volume of around 162 million euros for the coming year. The largest part, a total of 129.3 million euros, should flow into rail traffic. The VVO also wants to keep its offer at the current level in 2023 and invest in modern local transport.
Overall, according to the VVO forecast, the number of passengers is slightly higher than last year at around 167.5 million people this year.
