Düsseldorf (dpa/lnw) – The federal and state governments are providing almost one billion euros in support for local public transport in North Rhine-Westphalia to cushion financial losses due to the corona pandemic and the 9-euro ticket. The NRW Ministry of Transport announced on Wednesday that the specific regulations had been set in motion, and the formal applications could now be submitted. Almost a third of the money comes from the state, the rest comes from the federal government.
The transport companies had to accept financial losses during the pandemic. In addition, there is a loss of income due to the price reduction due to the 9-euro ticket that has been available since the beginning of June. The latter will be fully compensated by the federal government with 468.1 million euros. The Corona aid consists of 224.7 million euros in federal and 300 million euros in state funds. According to the Ministry of Transport, advance payments were already made in May. The money goes to the authorities responsible for public transport, the transport companies and special-purpose associations.
Public transport is systemically relevant and fulfills essential tasks of general interest, said Minister of Transport Oliver Krischer (Greens) according to the announcement. The 9-euro ticket is a success and has noticeably relieved citizens financially. “It creates an incentive to use public transport and I hope that the federal government will launch a successor model as soon as possible,” said Krischer.
