Public transport in the Nuremberg region: Greenpeace calls for radical changes!

Public transport in the Nuremberg region: Greenpeace calls for radical changes!

The public transport system in Germany is facing enormous challenges. A current survey by the environmental protection organization shows that this is particularly true in rural areas, such as the Nuremberger Land district Greenpeace, which defects are hard to miss. Over 200 surveys at the Laufer Marktplatz showed that unreliability and unpunctuality are the main points of criticism from users. Additional problems include the lack of cleanliness, vehicles that are not wheelchair accessible and a confusing tariff structure that makes it difficult for many people to keep track.

Many passengers want more clarity and easier conditions when traveling on public transport. The poor connections to the outskirts are particularly noticeable, especially on weekends. The district itself also sees this and plans to connect all places with more than 150 inhabitants to public transport, while the current guidelines only take into account settlements with 200 inhabitants or more. However, existing on-call buses, which have been in use in the Nuremberg region for over 30 years, are considered useful and could be expanded.

The demands of Greenpeace

Greenpeace is calling for comprehensive changes to increase the use of public transport. A central proposal is to make public transport provision in Bavaria a mandatory responsibility of the municipalities. This could help create a comprehensive and reliable network. Another important point is the demand for affordable prices, with an upper limit of 29 euros for the Germany ticket being brought into play - a clear difference to the current price of 58 euros per month.

In a broader context, another study by Greenpeace that around 26% of Germans have very poor access to public transport. This particularly affects rural regions where people often rely on cars. In Bavaria, access is 38.5%, and only in North Rhine-Westphalia can 18% of the population enjoy poor access. This highlights the massive room for improvement, especially when you consider that in independent cities, 78% of the population has good or very good access to local transportation — a difference that is only 11% for many rural counties.

The federal government is increasing the pressure

In view of these challenges, the federal government is planning measures to make local transport more attractive. From 2025, spending on local transport is to be increased to two billion euros annually, with the aim of every second city bus being electric by 2030. The aim is also to sustainably promote bus fleets with environmentally friendly drives. Facts about Germany reports that the government is also supporting bicycle traffic with significant funds in order to initiate a traffic transition.

It remains to be seen whether these measures will be sufficient to remedy the shortcomings in local transport. The criticisms and wishes of passengers are clear, and time is of the essence: it is important that both local and higher authorities pull together to create a reliable and efficient public transport network throughout Germany.