Public transport in the Nuremberg region: Environmentalists demand radical reforms!

Public transport in the Nuremberg region: Environmentalists demand radical reforms!

The public transport system in Lauf and the surrounding area is under pressure. In a recent survey by the environmental protection organization Greenpeace, which was carried out among over 200 passers-by on the Laufer Marktplatz, significant problems emerged. n-land.de reports that the main points of criticism are the unreliability and unpunctuality of both buses and trains. There are particular concerns about the railway: cleanliness is perceived as inadequate, the vehicles are not handicapped accessible and the fare structure causes confusion among passengers. Another drawback is the transport of bicycles, which is met with great dissatisfaction.

Despite this harsh criticism, the bus service in the Nürnberger Land district is not completely negative. Many users are positive about their experiences, but the major point of criticism remains the poor connection to the outskirts, especially on weekends. The district has decided to connect all places with more than 150 inhabitants to public transport, while currently only settlements with more than 200 inhabitants are taken into account in the Free State's corresponding guidelines.

Demands for improvement

The Greenpeace study calls for comprehensive changes to sustainably increase the use of public transport. These would include, among other things, making public transport provision a mandatory task for the municipalities in Bavaria. sueddeutsche.de added that there is also a demand for a Germany-wide price cap for the Deutschlandticket in order to reduce costs for commuters. The monthly price is currently 58 euros; Greenpeace demands an upper limit of 29 euros.

The debate about the financing of public transport is already in full swing, while local public transport in Germany is generally in crisis. More and more larger cities are reducing their offerings, while only a few, such as the Nürnberger Land district, are expanding their services. vdv.de points this out that in order to achieve Germany's climate target, public transport services would have to increase by around 4.5 percent annually.

The mobility transition and its effects

The need for nationwide, reliable public transport is clear not only from local elections, but also from recent studies and reports. The number of passengers in local public transport is showing a positive trend after falling due to the corona pandemic. The VDV reports that 26 million passengers are transported every day, replacing 18 million car journeys. The importance of buses and trains is becoming increasingly clear - not least in terms of saving up to 10 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually.

In order to achieve the ambitious goals of doubling the number of passengers by 2030, an annual increase of eight percent is necessary, which currently does not seem realistic. In view of all these challenges, it is essential to quickly work on the existing structures in order to promote the acceptance and use of local public transport. It remains to be seen whether the required changes will come.