Municipalities are on the brakes: Wissing wants more speed with the 49-euro ticket

There is a heated argument behind the scenes about the 49-euro ticket.

Municipalities are on the brakes: Wissing wants more speed with the 49-euro ticket

There is a heated argument behind the scenes about the 49-euro ticket. While the Federal Minister of Transport and the federal states want to get started as quickly as possible, the municipalities are blocking the process because they don't have enough money. The transport companies now only expect May 1st as the start.

Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing is urging the planned 49-euro ticket to be introduced quickly, despite considerable concerns from cities and municipalities. "There is a unanimous decision by the Prime Ministers' Conference that binds everyone. It is important that this is now implemented quickly and that new things are not constantly being discussed," said the FDP politician to the Funke newspapers. "Citizens are waiting for the Germany ticket." The aim is to introduce it as quickly as possible in the new year. Federal and state transport ministers are meeting this Tuesday for a special conference. The 49-euro ticket is currently being criticized by municipal umbrella organizations as economically unacceptable.

The Association of German Transport Companies (VDV) had previously speculated that the ticket could probably not be introduced until May. "The start date will be May 1st," predicted VDV general manager Oliver Wolff in an interview with the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung". It is not possible much earlier. There is still a lot to do before everything is administratively settled. He cited the complex process of tariff approval as an example, and the tariff systems of the transport associations would also have to be changed.

A dispute continues to rage behind the scenes about the costs and possible loss of revenue associated with the 49-euro ticket. The general manager of the German Association of Cities, Helmut Dedy, told the newspaper: "We think the Germany ticket is a very good idea - but only if it is also seriously financed." However, this is not the case with the Deutschlandticket. The federal and state governments wanted the 49-euro ticket, he made it clear and emphasized: "We didn't want it." There is a responsibility of the author. According to today's forecast, the ticket cannot be financed. Therefore, the municipalities could not get involved in dividing the costs into thirds.

The Greens politician Oliver Krischer, Minister of Transport from North Rhine-Westphalia, expressed understanding to the FAZ for the demand that the federal and state governments should relieve the municipalities in the event of higher costs. But that shouldn't end in a "fully comprehensive" mentality. There is not a single tariff in Germany that would be free of a financial risk. In addition, the public transport system could be made even more efficient. Krischer called for a "signal from all levels of government", including the municipalities, to guarantee the financing of the ticket.