The SPD and various social associations have strongly opposed a proposal put forward by the CDU, which suggests that recipients of the Citizen’s Income (Bürgergeld) should receive the Deutschlandticket (national transport pass) as an in-kind benefit instead of a dedicated cash allowance for mobility.
SPD faction vice-president Dagmar Schmidt told Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland that this move would severely limit personal decision-making. She stressed that the standard allowance is a fixed monthly sum, allowing benefit recipients the autonomy to decide what to do with their money-including how they travel. Different individuals require different solutions: some need public transit tickets, while others prefer cycling or walking. The state, she argued, should not mandate particular methods of movement.
Schmidt also criticized the underlying philosophy, stating that those who view the standard rate only through the lens of further cuts, and particularly aim to reduce benefits that represent the basic minimum for existence, are missing the core objective: getting people back into the workforce.
Currently, the standard rate under the Citizen’s Income-which is set to be renamed Grundsicherung (basic security) in the future-includes a certain amount as a mobility subsidy, paid entirely as cash. The CDU proposal, recently reported by the publication “Bild” as coming from politicians in North Rhine-Westphalia, involves cutting this mobility subsidy and issuing the Deutschlandticket instead.
Social associations are equally critical of the idea. Joachim Rock, CEO of the Paritätischer Gesamtverband, warned that the basic security amount is already too meager to justify reducing it in favor of a Germany ticket. In rural areas, where public transportation options are scarce, receiving a Deutschlandticket would be meaningless. He argued that recipients must retain the option to use their funds for carpooling or gasoline for commuting, and the proposal ignores the existence of many subsidized local transport tickets.
Furthermore, Michaela Engelmeier, Chairwoman of the Sozialverband Deutschland (SoVD), cautioned that such a measure would diminish the already very low financial flexibility of affected people. She explained that many individuals rely on this breathing room to cover unexpected expenses, such as repairing a broken household appliance. Engelmeier concluded that such proposals imply a lack of personal responsibility and will only contribute to societal division.
