Monday 4, September
Funding changes mean €49 Deutschland ticket in doubt from next year
Since its introduction in May of this year, the €49 ticket has represented one of Germany’s most popular political decisions. Faced with high energy prices resulting from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Germany’s ruling coalition decided to make an ambitious policy that would lower the cost of public transport. For the fixed fee of €49 per month, you can travel across the bus, trains and trams system of the whole country (albeit not on high-speed trains). But now that system appears to be in danger.
Federal transport minister Volker Wissing (FDP) has announced that starting from next year, the entire cost of the scheme would have to be borne by the federal states alone. As things stand, the amount is split 50/50, costing each party 1.5 billion euros each. Naturally, many on the state level are furious. Ute Bonde runs the Berlin-Brandenburg transport association (VBB): “Mr Wissing… introduced the Deutschland ticket for 49 euros… The federal government can’t enter into a partnership and then steal out again after four months… That’s not how you behave.”
Whether the ticket would survive this potential changes to its financial structure is as yet unclear.
