Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing wants the successor to the nine-euro ticket to be clarified by the end of the year. "Our goal should be to have a new ticket by the beginning of 2023 at the latest," the FDP politician told the newspapers of the VRM media group. "I want a ticket that is as attractive as possible in terms of price, that is valid throughout Germany and can be purchased as a subscription variant." The price would depend "on the concrete design and the distribution of costs between the federal government, the states and the customers."

In June, July and August, the nine-euro tickets enabled passengers to travel on public transport buses and trains throughout Germany for one month at a time. The special promotion to relieve passengers of increased energy costs expired on Wednesday. According to industry figures, around 52 million tickets were sold. The federal government financed the campaign with 2.5 billion euros to compensate for lost revenue for transport providers.

After weeks of debate about further relief due to high energy prices, citizens should now get clarity. This Saturday, the coalition leaders will meet with Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) for decisive consultations.

Image by Rebecca Holm