Germany's 9-euro ticket will not be extended
July 23, 2022
Christian Lindner (FDP) has confirmed that the 9-euro travel pass, allowing citizens to use Germany's public transport network for a heavily discounted price, will not be extended beyond August 31, the Finance Minister told the Funke Media Group on Saturday.
Since the beginning of June, citizens have been able to use a ticket that would mean they could go anywhere in Germany with buses, trams, subways, light rail, regional and regional express trains for just €9 ($9.19).
The ticket was introduced by the coalition government to offset rising fuel costs caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and many hoped it would be extended beyond its original expiry date.
However, Lindner extinguished those hopes, saying: "The 9-euro ticket is a temporary measure. The federal budget does not account for a continuation."
A fuel price rebate aimed at cushioning the financial impact of the Ukraine war on German residents will also not be extended, Lindner confirmed.
An opinion poll by research insititute Kantar for German news magazine Focus showed that a clear majority of German citizens would like to see low-prices in local and regional transport when the 9-euro ticket expires.
Some 79% of the respondents favored an affordable ticket that is subsidized by the state, while 16% are against and 5% were undecided or had no opinon. Among respondents 90% of people under the age of 30 supported such a subsidy.
What is the 9-euro ticket?
To ease the financial burden of rising fuel and living costs, German lawmakers introduced a discounted nation-wide travel pass for June, July and August.
Anyone, including non-German residents and tourists, were able to take advantage of the offer. By the beginning of July, some 21 million tickets had been sold sold, according to estimates from the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV).
The ticket did not include travel on long-distance ICE (Intercity Express), IC (Intercity), EC (Eurocity) or Thalys connections. But you could make similar trips on regional trains, albeit that the journey would take more time.
Certain ferry connections in Berlin and Hamburg were also included in the ticket.
Lindner questioned over ties to auto industry
The finance minister has found himself at the center of a political storm over his relationship with German carmaker Porsche.
Public Broadcaster ZDF alleged on Friday, that the FDP chairman "kept up to date" Porsche boss Oliver Blume "almost every hour" during last year's coalition negotiations, something Lindner refutes.
The ramifications of the relationship between Porsche and Lindner have been connected to Germany's e-fuels policy.
On his official Twitter account, his team posted that Lindner's "position on e-fuels has been known for years. Accordingly, in June he commented on the end of combustion engines planned by the EU. There was no previous contact with Mr. Blume and no other influence."
In its agreement, penned in December last year, the coalition government — which unites the Social Democrats, the Greens and Free Democrats — committed to having 15 million electric cars on the road by 2030 and phasing out the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles before an EU ban, slated for 2035, comes into effect.
In April, Porsche increased its investment in the development of climate-neutral e-fuels — intended to replace gasoline in traditional combustion engines — to the tune of $75 million.
jsi/jcg (AFP, epd)