The measure, in force on May 23, should encourage the Germans to take public transport, while the prices of petrol are soaring and the country aims to reduce its dependence on Russian hydrocarbons.
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Germany adopted the “Ticket at 9 euros”, Friday, May 20, after weeks of stormy discussion. As of Monday, May 23, all residents will be able to buy a public transport ticket at a single price of 9 euros per month, allowing to use urban transport and regional trains. The measure is scheduled for three months. Notable exception to German federalism, which provides that the Länder is solely competent in terms of public transport: the measure proposed by the federal state applies in all regions, at the same price. Its cost for the taxpayer is estimated at at least 2.5 billion euros.
The stated objective is to convince motorists to leave their car to the garage, in the context of the sharp increase in oil prices. Above all: since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, Berlin has been redoubling for efforts to reduce Germany’s dependence on Russian oil and gas. The Minister of the Ecologist Economy, Robert Habeck, in charge of the file, has multiplied calls to the population to reduce energy consumption. Improved accessibility to public transport must contribute.
In reality, the project is also a last minute corrective aimed at compensating for another measure, much more controversial: the discount granted to motorists on the prices of fuel to the pump. Defended by the Liberal FDP Party, she had angered the ecological party, her ally with the Social Democrats in the power coalition, which thus refused to subsidize fossil fuels. The government has agreed on a rebalancing: the ticket at 9 euros is also intended to be a targeted aid for public transport users in the face of inflation.
it remains to be seen what will be the impact of the measurement on road traffic. Several regions have criticized the project, in recent weeks, arguing that this ticket would mainly create windfall effects for tourists and dig a hole in public finances, without guaranteed effect on the behavior of motorists. Not to mention the dreaded consequences on the engorgement of public transport, which did not increase their capacity. The Deutsche Bahn, a public company which manages many urban and regional lines, is already famous for its systematic delays and its breakdowns, especially during the summer months, which already tend to discourage those who choose the train.
One thing is certain: the ticket at 9 euros has been one of the measures of the government most discussed in recent weeks, to the point of becoming emblematic of the debate on energy savings. Proof, if necessary, that in the country of the big sedan the measures to improve public transport does not lack support in the population.