Bringing public transport under democratic control

What's the problem?

A privatised or even partially privatised public transport system escapes democratic control and pursues profit interests. The results are additional costs, unreliability, and problems for an ecological → transition of transport. This also applies to the Deutsche Bahn AG, which is technically owned by the state, but as a public limited company is obliged to operate profit-oriented. Examples of this are high ticket prices, route dismantling if this maximises profits or delays due to missed repairs (see Sources).

What's the measure?

The Deutsche Bahn AG is restructured into a state-owned enterprise again. Municipal mobility companies are brought back into the full ownership of the municipalities by means of a nationwide support programme, unless they are part of a cooperative. Any profits must then be used to expand public transport, reduce ticket prices or for other ecological measures. Contracts will be awarded preferentially to Deutsche Bahn or municipal transport companies with the same offered timing.

How does this work against climate change?

An alternative for individual traffic is required for a traffic-turnaround. Local and long-distance public transport can be this alternative, but it is currently still too unreliable and expensive due to profit interests..

References to other measures

Publicly owned local and long-distance transport speeds up all other measures relating to it, since contracts and agreements can be made more quickly and democratically without any interest in profit.

Further literature and sources

On the problem of profit-orientated interests in public transport: https://www.claus-von-wagner.de/content/4-tv/1-anstalt/20190129-20190129-die-bahn-stuttgart-21/anstalt-20190129-faktencheck.pdf