"We're selling something here"

An extension of the 9-euro ticket meets with resistance from the railway unions. It "cannot be continued like this," said the vice chairman of the EVG union, Martin Burkert. "The workforce has reached the load limit and in some cases exceeded it." In view of this overload, the ticket cannot be extended.

The train drivers' union GDL made a similar statement. With the ticket, which is supposed to relieve commuters, additional rushes of travelers were brought onto the train, said GDL boss Claus Weselsky in rbb. "That's not good for the system, because it's already being driven to wear out. Now we're also completely overloaded." He can therefore only advise against extending the offer.

Free public transport – or a "reasonable" price?

The trade unions have different attitudes towards pricing. "In the long term, we want public transport to become free. But before that, the range and capacity must first be expanded across the board," said Burkert.

On the other hand, Weselsky said: "We're selling something here. We're pretending that local transport is free." There must be a nationwide public transport ticket at a reasonable price.

States want more money from the federal government

The 9-euro ticket is still valid in July and August and allows you to travel nationwide on local transport for one month. The federal and state governments are discussing a successor plan.

There are suggestions for a 69-euro monthly ticket or a 365-euro ticket for the whole year. While Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing points out the responsibility of the federal states for local transport, they want more money from the federal government.