Mobility with a future: public transport funding until 2035

IHK Ostbrandenburg calls for a reduction in bureaucracy and reliable funding commitments for public transport in the region

With its "I can't work like this" campaign, the IHK Ostbrandenburg is taking aim at the increasing hurdles for businesses. It shows how bureaucracy, lengthy planning procedures and a lack of digital structures are slowing down entrepreneurs in their day-to-day work.

One of the most pressing examples is provided by Frank Wruck, Managing Director of Barnimer Busgesellschaft and Vice President of the East Brandenburg Chamber of Industry and Commerce: "I can't work like this because the transport transition and the drive transition are not fully funded," says Wruck. Since the introduction of the Deutschlandticket in May 2023, there has been a funding gap that is jeopardizing the future of local public transport, and not just in the Barnim district.

"Municipal transport companies need reliable funding for the future for their services related to the Deutschlandticket," demands Wruck. He proposes joint financing with a ten-year funding commitment from the federal, state and local authorities as well as a standardized system for recording and monitoring the Germany Tickets issued in order to effectively counteract bureaucracy. After all, almost every one of the 700 transport companies in Germany sells the Deutschlandticket.

The Barnimer Busgesellschaft transports almost eleven million passengers a year on 55 regional routes in Barnim and Märkisch-Oderland with 120 of its own buses and employs around 300 people. Despite an above-average public transport service - according to a study commissioned by Greenpeace, Barnim is one of the top 10 rural districts in Germany - the financial uncertainties are a burden on operations and thus on the local transport transition.

"Entrepreneurs in East Brandenburg need legal certainty, planning security and a noticeable reduction in bureaucracy," Wruck emphasizes. "This is the only way we can ensure the attractiveness and future viability of the regional economy."

The IHK Ostbrandenburg is the largest representative of business interests between Schwedt and Eisenhüttenstadt, between Berlin and the Oder river.