A look at the calendar is unmistakable: in a few days, the 9-euro ticket will be gone. How the public transport will continue after that is still open. The Federal Chancellor has so far always spoken out against a successor to the savings card. New statements by Olaf Scholz now suggest a change of course.
The 9-euro ticket is perhaps the biggest success story of the year: the ticket for local and regional transport has sold millions of times, noticeably reduced inflation and sparked a debate about the future of public transport. Chancellor Olaf Scholz has now come out as a fan.
Successor to the 9-euro ticket: Has Chancellor Scholz changed his mind?
“It was one of the best ideas we had”, said Scholz during a question and answer session with citizens (source: Spiegel). Unusually clear words for the SPD politician, who is often criticized for his vague empty words. According to Scholz, it should now be checked to what extent “convenience, usability, perhaps also affordability” in local public transport should be improved.
The Chancellor previously criticized the different tariff structures in public transport, which complicate ticket purchases. Transport Minister Wissing will now discuss with the federal states which conclusions have to be drawn from the experience. Last week’s federal-state talks obviously produced no results.
When asked by citizens whether the 9-euro ticket would have a successor, the chancellor did not comment. However, the conspicuous praise for the 9-euro ticket and the criticism of the previous public transport structures suggest that it there could be a change of course at Scholz. In the past he was even more skeptical.
Everything you need to know about the 9 euro ticket:
The population wants to keep the 9-euro ticket
An extension of the 9-euro ticket would definitely be well received by the public. In a recent survey, 55 percent of those surveyed stated that they would like to use the saver ticket for local and regional transport beyond the August 31 deadline. Finance Minister Lindner, however, insists on an end to the 9-euro ticket and, in addition to the high costs for the state coffers, also points out that millions of people in rural areas would hardly benefit from the advantages of the 9-euro ticket.
Meanwhile, there are many ideas for a successor. The Left Party favors a 365-euro ticket for the entire year, while the Verkehrsclub Deutschland prefers the Länder-PlusTicket. And the Greens want two 9-euro ticket successors.