In the debate about a successor regulation for the 9-euro ticket, which is only valid until the end of August, Green politicians propose a regional ticket for 29 euros and a nationwide ticket for 49 euros a month.
This emerges from a concept paper by party leader Ricarda Lang, faction leader Katharina Dröge and the North Rhine-Westphalian Minister of Transport Oliver Krischer, which was first reported by the ARD capital studio.
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The regional ticket for 29 euros should therefore primarily be aimed at commuters who use public transport to go to work. The prize gives “real incentives” for switching to bus and train and is particularly suitable for people with a small budget.
It should apply “at least nationwide, but also for regions such as Berlin-Brandenburg or Bremen-Hamburg-Lower Saxony”. The Greens refer to a proposal by the ecological Verkehrsclub Deutschland, which proposed eight regions.
In addition, according to the paper, there should be a “49-euro ticket for all of Germany”, which works just as easily as the current 9-euro ticket. Like the latter, the proposed tickets should only apply to local and regional transport.
The offer of a 49-euro ticket could “completely break through the jungle of tariffs”, advertise the Greens. Dealing with the “often confusing pricing would come to an end for many people”.
The crux of a successor plan for the 9-euro ticket is always the financing. The federal government spent 2.5 billion euros on the loss of revenue for the federal states responsible for public transport in the three months of June, July and August.
The Association of German Transport Companies has calculated that a 69-euro ticket it proposes would require an additional two billion euros per year.
The Greens propose a “dismantling” of the company car privilege. This allows companies to deduct the cost of company cars for tax purposes. Above all, CO2 emissions should be taken more into account.
“The resulting additional revenue for the federal and state governments could flow seamlessly into the financing of the cheap tickets,” says the paper. “Instead of a concession that primarily benefits high earners, we are enabling a transport policy measure with a broad impact that also provides an effective incentive for climate protection.”
The Greens call their proposal a contribution to the debate and emphasize their willingness to talk about other financing options. They refer to the success of the 9-euro ticket. Initial evaluations suggested that people had actually switched from cars to buses and trains, so there were also positive effects for the climate.