Dresden. The request to speak came first and foremost on Friday evening, after the second meeting of the Saxon cabinet this year. It came from Saxony’s Minister of Health Petra Köpping (SPD) and her announcement in the middle of the week immediately caused indignation.
Köpping reported on the results of the meeting and the new Corona Protection Ordinance of the Free State, which is to apply from Monday until February 7th. Right at the beginning, she addressed local public transport, which is not only used much less in Dresden in lockdown than in corona-free times.
Köpping literally said in the middle of the week about the new definition: “This is an urgent recommendation that should limit the utilization of public transport to 25 to 50 percent.” Only a recommendation because many people adhered to the distance regulations, “but public transport is just such an area where this is not possible under the current conditions”.
She reiterated this recommendation on Friday evening. The overriding principle is still to avoid contact. Keeping your distance is “often not possible in public transport because buses and trains are often so full”. A “low utilization” is therefore recommended.
The minister did not mention percentages this time. She added that this low level of occupancy already exists because many students do not go to school and those who work do not go to work. “Even if we usually advertise it like that,” it is now recommended that older people in particular avoid public transport. Köpping called on the companies not to minimize the frequency of journeys and thus to ensure that there is always enough space in the buses and trains.
In the middle of the week, those responsible for the Dresden Transport Company (DVB) criticized this recommendation by the minister. You had to register a drop in passenger numbers last year – due to Corona. They have dropped from just over 164 million in 2019 to less than 130 million. That corresponds to almost 80 percent of the 2019 figure.
The loss resulted primarily from the decline in passengers during the lockdown times. There were up to 70 percent fewer passengers in spring 2020 and up to 60 percent in December. The financial consequence: of the originally planned income from ticket sales, almost 16 million euros were missing in 2020. In return, there was money from the state’s so-called public transport rescue package. However, the full loss was not compensated; the bottom line was just under three million euros at the end of the year at DVB’s expense.
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Restrictions on the offer – exactly what Köpping refuses – have meant that the minus was not even higher. The company saved two million euros in 2020 because fewer vehicles were on the road during the lockdown times. After all, up to 70 percent fewer passengers boarded than in the corona-free year 2019. The conclusion of the transport company managers: With a few exceptions, there was always enough space in the Dresden buses and trams to comply with the distance rules. In addition to the mask requirement, which already applies in public transport.
At the moment the DVB is registering 40 to 50 percent of the usual number of passengers in January without Corona. At the moment, this is contrasted by a limited range of journeys – 80 percent of the otherwise normal DVB trains and buses are now in Dresden.
The DVB rejects the explicit call to use even fewer buses and trains. “That does not correspond to our business model”, says company board member Lars Seiffert. After all, local public transport is a good alternative for the city and the climate, even in the Corona lockdown. A clear criticism of the minister’s words.
The most important thing about the corona virus in Dresden:
The DVB, however, supported the call to leave the house or apartment less. But not the demand to travel even less bus and train. Because “the public transport is safe”, the DVB managers are convinced despite Corona. They also expressly mean the risk of infection.
On Sächsische.de we would like to share very different reports from people infected with corona in Dresden. If you have already got over the illness and would like to tell us about it, write to us [email protected]ächsische.de.
