49-euro ticket: some federal states are planning a cheaper version – politics
The 49-euro ticket is to be introduced in May. In the coming week, the Bundestag wants to decide on the federal government’s share of the funding. There will be no discounted social ticket. The federal states are now going different ways to make discounted offers, according to a survey by the Evangelical Press Service (epd) in the transport ministries of all federal states.
Some federal states want to make the 49-euro ticket cheaper for young people, others offer state-wide social tickets, and some leave it at the discounts that municipalities or transport associations provide for certain groups anyway. In Bavaria and Saarland, the Germany ticket for young people will cost 29 euros and 30.40 euros respectively. Thuringia wants to offer it to young people with training and residence in the Free State for 28 euros, but has not yet made a decision.
Saxony rejects a discounted ticket
The countries have to bear the costs for discounts on the 49-euro ticket themselves. In Rhineland-Palatinate, too, the state government is currently examining whether it can offer cheaper versions of the Deutschlandticket. Saxony rejects such plans. Funding from the state budget alone is not possible. Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania would like a discounted Germany ticket for seniors.
The offer, also known as Deutschlandticket, is to be introduced on May 1st. In addition to the Bundestag, the Bundesrat must also agree. The federal and state governments are initially jointly financing the ticket, which is valid nationwide for local and regional transport, until 2025. The federal government makes 1.5 billion euros available annually to compensate for half of the loss of income from transport providers. During their negotiations, the federal and state governments had agreed not to introduce a cheaper social ticket as well, as had been advocated by Hesse, Bremen, Berlin, Saarland, Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden-Württemberg.
Social associations continue to demand a social ticket. They argue that the new freedom of movement must also exist for people who cannot afford a 49-euro ticket, especially since this is only the introductory price.
Different prices for different groups of people
Meanwhile, several federal states want to introduce nationwide discounted tickets. Lower Saxony wants to offer a 29-euro ticket for schoolchildren, trainees and volunteers. In Hesse, from May 1st, there will be a social ticket for recipients of citizenship benefit, housing benefit and social assistance for 31 euros. In the Berlin city area there is still a 9-euro social ticket until May. Discussions are being held with the state of Brandenburg as to whether there should be additional offers for the Germany ticket in the joint transport association. In Thuringia, trainees are already offered a ticket that is valid almost throughout the state, Saarland has a FairTicket that is valid throughout the state for 39 euros, and Saxony offers discounted tickets for trainees, volunteers and schoolchildren.
Saxony-Anhalt and several other states, on the other hand, do not have state-wide regulations. Reduced tickets and subscriptions that municipalities and transport associations offer for poorer sections of the population, young people or senior citizens in all federal states will remain in place, for example in the 19 different transport associations in Baden-Württemberg. In Berlin, 60 percent of the population are entitled to discounted to free tickets. Hamburg is discounting monthly tickets with a social discount of currently 24.80 euros, the future amount has not yet been decided. In Bremen there is a city ticket for 25 euros for citizens’ income recipients. In Bavaria there are 365-euro annual tickets for students and trainees in the traffic areas around Munich, Nuremberg, Würzburg, Regensburg, Augsburg and Ingolstadt.
