NI was recently sitting with fellow students from Mannheim in a bar in Darmstadt called “Zum Hotzenplotz”. It was a first class cultural event. Not only because we Germanists were able to refresh our knowledge of Otfried Preußler’s classic children’s book, but also because we got to know the Darmstadt cult drink “Laternchen” there. This is a sweetly sparkling cider in a beer mug, in which a champagne glass with cherry liqueur is floating. Both liquids only mix in the mouth when drinking. This wonderfully illustrates physical density laws and also tastes good.
Enthusiastic about the lanterns, we got to know Darmstadt students in the student bar, who told us all sorts of things about the lanterns, their city and Art Nouveau. When the beer mugs got deeper and the colors more colorful, we drove back to Mannheim – of course with the nine-euro ticket, which was the real reason for our trip.
My fellow students and I go on reconnaissance trips because we can suddenly afford to be mobile. Whether a trip to the neighboring university town, a few days of Documenta or a visit to a museum in Stuttgart: the nine-euro ticket opens up a space of possibilities where the travel costs would otherwise tear too big a hole in our thin student purses. This is an aspect that must be taken into account when discussing the future financing of local public transport in Germany. In addition to climate and social compatibility, the cheap transport ticket also increases educational opportunities.
Sample semester ticket
Life doesn’t happen in the study room. Goethe already knew this, and he never tired of emphasizing travel as the basis for a holistic education. Now, Germany isn’t Italy, but that doesn’t matter. It is crucial to leave the familiar environment in order to learn something new in confrontation with the unseen. If you pack your suitcase a little smaller than for an Italian trip, you can do that without any problems even within regional train range.
There is also the aspect of encounters and networking. At the moment, students can move freely within the circle of their semester ticket. Sometimes it’s further, sometimes narrower, but often the next big university is just out of reach. So the boundaries are clearly defined. As a result, every university town cooks its own soup. If students could move around Germany cheaply, this would release enormous potential. Student cooperation across universities, joint colloquia or attending a seminar from the top-class professor at the neighboring university – a cheap ticket helps students and universities to grow together.
What follows? If a successor to the nine-euro ticket that is affordable for all purses cannot be implemented, at least a nationwide ticket for students and young people would be a first step. The design could be based on the semester tickets that student representatives and transport associations already have experience with. The success story of the regional semester tickets also shows how collective solidarity financing can work. At around 200 euros per semester, the tickets are not available at a ridiculous price.
What a great opportunity such a ticket would be for the education of young people. What a strong challenge it would be to leave the haze of one’s own university in order to gain experience elsewhere. And you have to emphasize it in 2022: in analogue and not in digital life! An education ticket for young people would be a confirmation of the social task of students: educate yourself so that you can contribute your talents and skills to society in the best possible way! A nationwide valid, inexpensive local transport ticket is an investment in the future – in so many ways.
Leon hedgehog (26 years old) is studying German and Business Administration at the University of Mannheim for a master’s degree, where he is less concerned with Goethe and more with Christoph Schlingensief. When that gets too much for him, he drives to his parents’ house and chop wood. Or bake bread. Thanks to Corona, he can now too.
