Savings plans
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The Senate may want to discontinue the 29-euro ticket at the turn of the year
dpa/Schoening
Audio: rbb24 Inforadio | 11/20/2024 | Sabine Müller | Bild: dpa/Schoening
It has been known since Monday that the 29 euro ticket will be abolished. Until now it was questionable when this would happen. The transport senator makes it clear: It should be scrapped “as quickly as possible”. Customers then have to take action themselves.
- Transport Senator Bonde wants to phase out the 29-euro ticket “as quickly as possible”.
- Customers can switch to the Deutschlandticket or the AB environmental card, both of which are more expensive
- Senator for Economic Affairs Giffey initially spoke of a one-year validity
- The Berlin Left reacts angrily and speaks of “chaos”
Transport Senator Ute Bonde (CDU) said on Wednesday in the Transport Committee of the House of Representatives about the planned budget cuts that all funds that were planned for the Berlin subscription should be saved for 2025. “This means that the 29 euro ticket as it exists today will no longer exist in 2025.”
According to Bonde, she cannot yet make any statements about the exact how and when of the implementation; they are in discussions with the BVG, S-Bahn and the Berlin-Brandenburg transport association. According to them, it is about the “quickest possible” implementation.
CDU politician Kraft: Special right of termination is possible
The transport policy spokesman for the CDU parliamentary group, Johannes Kraft, confirmed to the rbb that the black-red coalition is considering adding the 29-euro tickets either to the Deutschlandticket (58 euros per month from January) or to the Berlin Environmental Card AB (71 .40 euros per month). First he had “Tagesspiegel” (paid content) reported about it.
According to Kraft, customers could make use of a special right of termination if they do not want to convert. “Ideally,” Kraft told rbb, the new regulation would come into effect on January 1st, so that subsidies would no longer be necessary for the 29-euro ticket in 2025.
Giffey had expressed himself differently – the Left speaks of “chaos”
Bonde’s statements caused surprise and anger in the Transport Committee. On Tuesday, SPD Economics Senator Franziska Giffey said when presenting the budget cuts that she assumed that the existing subscriptions would continue for the full twelve months. “The people who have a ticket have made a contract for one year. And I clearly assume that we have a protection of trust, so that tickets that are bought are also bought under a condition,” said Giffey. “That will then expire.”
“The 29-euro ticket chaos is perfect,” criticizes Kristian Ronneburg, transport policy spokesman for the Left. Yesterday Senator Giffey was still talking about protection of trust, “today Senator Bonde is pulling the plug and telling Berliners that she wants to abolish the ticket as quickly as possible,” Ronneburg told rbb on Wednesday. He calls on the Senate to show “political greatness” and “not to leave the passengers hanging, so that they can still travel with the 29 euro ticket at least in 2025.”
The subsidized 29 euro ticket, which is valid in the AB fare zone, only started in July. Around 210,000 subscriptions were sold by the end of October. The coalition committee of the Senate factions had on Monday As part of the three billion euro savings package, the decision was made to end the ticket.
Broadcast: rbb24 Inforadio, November 20, 2024, 4:20 p.m
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1. What is your reaction to the Berlin Senate’s plan to discontinue the 29 euro ticket at the beginning of 2025, potentially leaving subscribers with no option but to switch to a more expensive ticket midway through their contract period?
2. Do you think ending the 29 euro ticket is a necessary measure for the city to save money, or should efforts be made to maintain the ticket for the full duration of current subscriptions?
3. How might the planned implementation of ending the 29 euro ticket affect public transportation usage in Berlin, especially for those who rely on it for daily commutes?
4. With special rights to terminate subscriptions being considered, do you believe this will adequately protect the interests of customers who may not be able to afford the higher priced tickets?
5. What is your opinion on the possibility of integrating the 29 euro ticket into existing fare options, such as the Deutschlandticket or the Berlin Environmental Card AB? Would this be a suitable alternative for subscribers?
6. Are there any other transportation initiatives or policies that you feel the Berlin Senate should prioritize in light of the current budget cuts, and how might they achieve these goals?
