Stralsund (dpa / mv) – The Hanseatic city of Stralsund wants to use a 9-euro ticket to get even more residents to switch to local public transport. At its meeting on Thursday evening, the citizenry made a fundamental decision to introduce the inexpensive monthly ticket. “This paves the way for a real turnaround in mobility in Stralsund,” said Mayor Alexander Badrow (CDU) in a first reaction.
The starting signal for the 9-euro ticket will be given as soon as the budget for 2023 has been decided and confirmed by the Ministry of the Interior. The draft budget with a financing proposal for the ticket is expected to be available in March.
Stralsund would be the first city in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania to continue the 9-euro ticket that was tested nationwide in the summer. According to the information, it should only be reserved for the residents of the city. The ticket is to be implemented as an annual subscription, i.e. it costs 108 euros per year. Stralsund, who are 70 years and older, can already use the buses free of charge.
According to the city administration, the mobility turnaround aimed for in Stralsund is based on three pillars: inexpensive local transport, parking spaces close to the city center for residents, visitors and commuters, and an extensive network of cycle paths.
A 49-euro ticket is to come nationwide in the coming year. The Greens in the state parliament had failed last week with a push to introduce a 29-euro ticket for local public transport throughout Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Transport Minister Reinhard Meyer (SPD) emphasized that the country currently lacks the money for this. The federal capital Berlin has been offering a monthly ticket for 29 euros since October.