Additional billions needed
Deutschlandticket will probably make local transport more expensive
08/26/2023 11:47 am
How much money will public transport need by 2031? The Federal Ministry of Transport has commissioned an investigation from which it is quoted before it is published. It is becoming apparent that public transport is facing a major financing problem, with or without a 49-euro ticket.
Local public transport buses and trains will obviously cost taxpayers significantly more money in the next few years than they have in the past. The reason for this is the introduction of the Deutschlandticket. This is the conclusion reached by an investigation commissioned by the Federal Ministry of Transport, the preliminary version of which is reported by the “Spiegel”.
The short report on the “determination of the financial requirements for public transport up to 2031” shows: “In order to cover the total costs of public transport”, the Deutschlandticket in 2031 “needs a subsidy of between 20.7 and 31 billion euros”. Without the continuation of the Germany ticket, depending on the scenario, only between 16.6 and 18.3 billion in tax revenue would have to flow in 2031.
With a ticket, public transport costs up to 19.5 billion euros more than in 2022. It will be particularly expensive after 2025. There the “breaking edge is particularly striking,” according to “Spiegel” in the study. Then the Corona aid, which has been used to support local transport, will expire. Public transport threatens to run out of money even without a Germany ticket. Therefore, either the ticket prices would have to rise or the state would have to inject more money.
So far, the federal and state governments have shared the costs for the Germany ticket at 1.5 billion euros annually – until 2025. However, the assumption of the additional costs for the 49-euro ticket is only guaranteed until the end of this year. A price increase for the Deutschlandticket therefore seems to be foreseeable. The Ministry of Transport did not want to comment on prices, but admitted to the news magazine that a new law would be needed after 2025 in order to “permanently secure” the “further financing” of the 49-euro ticket.