Transport policy | Climate policy fiasco

The Deutschlandticket was introduced in May 2023. This was followed by the time-limited 9 euro ticket. Photo: dpa/Julian Stratenschulte Who else knows the Schönes-Wochenende-Ticket? The offer was available for 24 years and was launched in 1995 as a 15-mark ticket. Five adults were allowed to ride it together. It was a success: many people switched to the train. Initially the ticket was valid for the entire weekend, but later it was limited to one day. The price kept rising – most recently to 44 euros. Then the ticket was discontinued - the price increases had stifled demand.

The Germany ticket is now threatened with a similar fate. The introductory price three years ago was 49 euros per month, but the subscription now costs 63 euros. Now the price is set to rise by a further 3.80 euros. The coordination council responsible for the ticket persistently approaches the customer's pain threshold.

What would be gained if people increasingly canceled their Germany ticket because it had become too expensive for them? Some will drive more often again, others will forego a trip or trip because taking the train is too expensive for them. That doesn't mean any more money comes into the coffers.

From a transport policy perspective, it is a disgrace if politicians fail to keep the price of the Germany ticket stable. After all, 14.5 million people subscribed to the local transport ticket last year.

At the same time, at the urging of Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU), the federal government agreed to introduce a fuel discount shortly before the elections in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin. As an immediate measure against rising fuel prices, the mineral oil tax is to be reduced - the federal government hopes that the oil companies will pass on the price reduction to customers.

However, that might be a naive idea. The first fuel discount in May and June showed that the tax cut was only partially received by customers. At the same time, the oil companies were able to expand their margins. And now, shortly before the tax cut comes into force on October 1st, fuel prices are rising significantly again.

This is a shockingly haphazard transport policy that is primarily aimed at short-term effects. The goal is clearly formulated in the Climate Protection Act: Greenhouse gas emissions in Germany must fall significantly, by at least 65 percent by 2030 compared to 1990. However, this is still a long way off, especially in the transport sector. The desperate attempt to reduce fuel prices with a lot of money and the price increase for a successful public transport offer make it clear how important climate protection is in political decisions: not a particularly great one.

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