“For the environment and purchasing power”
Macron wants a public transport subscription like in Germany
9/4/2023 10:57 p.m
For 49 euros a month you can use all regional trains in Germany. Emmanuel Macron also wants to make this possible for France soon – in “all regions that are ready for it”.
French President Emmanuel Macron is aiming for a system with inexpensive monthly subscriptions for regional trains based on the German model. When asked by Hugo Decrypte, a YouTube channel geared towards news for young people, whether France would be willing to offer a monthly ticket for regional trains for €49 like Germany, Macron said he was in favour. “I have asked the transport minister to set up the system with all regions that are ready,” added Macron.
“For the environment and for purchasing power, we should introduce this train ticket in France in collaboration between the state and the regions,” Transport Minister Clement Beaune said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter. Macron added that such a system must be part of a broader effort to reduce carbon emissions, involving the housing sector and other sectors of the economy.
Germany ticket threatens price increase
Earlier this year, Germany introduced the so-called Deutschlandticket, which costs 49 euros a month and allows unlimited travel on local public transport (ÖPNV) such as buses and S-Bahn trains in Germany. The aim of the system, which will cost around three billion euros and will be funded by the federal and state governments, is to reduce CO2 emissions and help citizens cope with rising inflation.
Local public transport buses and trains could, however, cost taxpayers significantly more money in the coming years than they have in the past. This is the conclusion reached by an investigation commissioned by the Federal Ministry of Transport, the preliminary version of which was recently reported by the “Spiegel”. Should the Germany ticket continue to exist, there could be a price increase.