More expensive Germany ticket: How about a public transport discount?

It's a crisis. An autocrat has expanded his attacks on Ukraine, and now a war is raging that is claiming many lives. Fossil raw materials are becoming scarce on the world market. Citizens in Germany are groaning under the high energy prices. In order to relieve them, the traffic light coalition under SPD Chancellor Olaf Scholz is introducing the 9-euro ticket for local transport throughout Germany.

This all happens in 2022. And now, in 2026? Now the black-red federal government is throwing away several billion euros on the new fuel discount, which will take effect from Thursday - while the price for the Germany ticket will be increased to 66.80 euros per month. This is bitter, the opposite of the traffic turnaround and extremely politically inept.

Bitter for people who regularly use local transport, either because they are climate-conscious or simply cannot afford their own car. And bitter for climate protection if the consumption of fossil fuels is first subsidized and then switching to local transport becomes more expensive.

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It is also bitter that the price increase for the Deutschlandticket is justified, among other things, by the increased energy costs - while prices for drivers are willingly kept low by the federal government. And the bitterest thing is that the fuel discount costs a lot more money than the Germany ticket in a whole year. At the same time, the federal government is shying away from an excess profits tax for oil companies, which could pour money into their coffers and, for example, cross-finance the Deutschlandticket.

There was also a nonsensical fuel discount in 2022 and not everything went perfectly with the 9 euro ticket. Nevertheless, the measures taken back then show that the federal and state governments can show empathy for different population groups.

Offering the Germany ticket at the same price or cheaper would show people without cars that politicians have them in mind. And transport could become more climate-friendly – ​​that would be smart.