After the federal-state summit, Chancellor Scholz promises a "rapid" start of the Germany ticket. While the finances are now settled, the dispute over the date continues. Transport Minister Wissing is annoyed, the transport companies are aiming for April 1st.
After the further agreement between the federal and state governments on the 49-euro ticket for local public transport (ÖPNV), the transport companies believe that the offer can still start on April 1st. "If all steps can be implemented as planned, then April 1st is still within reach as the start date for the Germany ticket," said the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV). "Some legislative processes must now be implemented promptly." The countries would also have to create the conditions in their budgets for the ticket.
"Above all, the federal states must now stop discussing," said Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing in the ARD "Morgenmagazin". Regarding the agreement at the federal-state summit, the FDP politician said that "the third financial negotiation on the same matter" had been held "with no really new result". The countries must now deliver, it must now be "worked and implemented". After the long discussions of the past few weeks, he considers a start in the spring to be "realistic". He did not give a specific date.
Berlin's governing mayor Franziska Giffey had previously expressed skepticism about a start date in early April. "It looks like it will probably be May, but that now depends on the negotiations. I very much hope that it will work," said the SPD politician on Thursday evening after the federal-state meeting in the Chancellery in the Broadcast "RTL direct".
The chairman of the conference of prime ministers, Lower Saxony's state chief Stefan Weil, had previously made it clear that the states were aiming for a start by the end of the first quarter of 2023. It shouldn't be "a summer issue," he emphasized. The nationwide usable ticket for buses and trains in local transport should come with an introductory price of 49 euros per month. The goal is to build on the popular 9-euro ticket from the summer. The federal and state governments had already agreed on important financial issues in the autumn. It was still unclear who should pay for the foreseeable additional costs for the transport company. At the meeting, both sides have now agreed to each carry half of it. In the following years, it should then be agreed together how the financing can be secured.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz said after the prime ministers' conference on Thursday evening: "The Germany ticket will come now, also very quickly. We have now removed all the hurdles so that those responsible in the federal states and the transport companies can now do everything they can to ensure that this happens quickly and progressing swiftly."
There is now a lot of work to be done for politicians and companies. The federal government must obtain the EU Commission's approval under state aid law. Because the financial commitments also affect the regionalization funds with which the federal government supports the federal states in local public transport, corresponding changes in the law are also needed, according to the VDV. "The implementation in the regions and cities will be a hard piece of work, because the tariff system and the sale of tickets will be completely reorganized," said the general manager of the German Association of Cities, Helmut Dedy, of the Funke media group.
