German elections on Sunday 23rd February 2025

[Zehner]

They would have been able to do that if they hadn't wasted billions on failed policies. But I am aware that you have different opinions about that and don't want to derail this thread.

Which exactly?

 

[hasanejaz88]

Depends on wat you define as decisively. It was implemented in 2009 as a reaction to the banking crises and limits what governments can invest and as a consequence, our infrastructure is now in a terrible state, be it internet, traffic (especially bridges) or public transport. But apart from that, governments don't need two thirds majorities most of the time.

I don't get why people think public transport here is in a terrible state. I've lived in Toronto, my wife in Chicago, and we've visited numerous of the bigger European countries (France, Spain, Italy), the public transport, in Munich atleast, is great compared to them, especially the US, which is a sh*tshow.

I understand it has gotten worse, the bus next to my home had to reduce their schedule because of a lack of bus drivers, but worse it's still a lot better than other places. I certainly hope they try to increase spending, especially on the drivers who have been striking for an increase in pay.

 

[stefan92]

I don't get why people think public transport here is in a terrible state.

For example Switzerland doesn't allow German trains to cross the border because they so often are delayed that they feck up Swiss train schedules far beyond what they consider acceptable.

 

[G3079]

I don't get why people think public transport here is in a terrible state. I've lived in Toronto, my wife in Chicago, and we've visited numerous of the bigger European countries (France, Spain, Italy), the public transport, in Munich atleast, is great compared to them, especially the US, which is a sh*tshow.

I understand it has gotten worse, the bus next to my home had to reduce their schedule because of a lack of bus drivers, but worse it's still a lot better than other places. I certainly hope they try to increase spending, especially on the drivers who have been striking for an increase in pay.

Go outside the cities with 200k+ inhabitants. Doesn't even need to be rural areas, smaller towns will do.

I'm currently living in one with ~50k people, the public transport is a joke. No night service. Bad service in the early morning and later evening. During weekday daytime, each line is visiting a given stop between every 30mins and every 2hrs. Weekend daytime is 2hrs at best, with a drastically reduced network. Bus lines servicing schools or the university are so overcrowded that they regularly have to leave people behind in the morning and afternoon. Busses are constantly late or even totally cancelled, but nobody waiting for them will know that because only a few stops in the city center have digital displays but even they just display the pre-programmed schedule rather than live time estimates, and they don't display updates either.
The central bus stop has been demolished a few years ago without a replacement, so now all lines meet in a crowded little side street that can just barely fit three busses for each direction, has no rain protection and no spots for the sick or elderly to sit while they wait, just noisy and utterly overcrowded narrow sidewalks where the waiting passengers block foot traffic.

And I think we all know what a disaster the DB is.

 

[hasanejaz88]

Go outside the cities with 200k+ inhabitants. Doesn't even need to be rural areas, smaller towns will do.

I'm currently living in one with ~50k people, the public transport is a joke. No night service. Bad service in the early morning and later evening. During weekday daytime, each line is visiting a given stop between every 30mins and every 2hrs. Weekend daytime is 2hrs at best, with a drastically reduced network. Bus lines servicing schools or the university are so overcrowded that they regularly have to leave people behind in the morning and afternoon. Busses are constantly late or even totally cancelled, but nobody waiting for them will know that because only a few stops in the city center have digital displays but even they just display the pre-programmed schedule rather than live time estimates, and they don't display updates either.
The central bus stop has been demolished a few years ago without a replacement, so now all lines meet in a crowded little side street that can just barely fit three busses for each direction, has no rain protection and no spots for the sick or elderly to sit while they wait, just noisy and utterly overcrowded narrow sidewalks where the waiting passengers block foot traffic.

And I think we all know what a disaster the DB is.

Just for information, which city do you live in? I'm not well travelled at all in Germany, the only smallish city I've visited was Ulm and the transport seemed fine there.

The transport situation you mentioned for your city does seem sh*t but I try to compare to countries within the same region to get perspective, I would suspect smaller cities will have poor transport compared to the bigger ones in most countries. I don't think Germany is amongst the worst in Western Europe that people complain about it this much, I suppose coming from a third world country (though living a few years in Canada) gives a different perspective on the luxury of just having the option of reliable public transport.

Regarding DB, there was a really fun article that compared the rail services in Western/Central Europe and DB was around the lower middle in terms of overall quality. The reliability complaint is well founded as it was bottom in terms of that. Trenitalia being top doesn't surprise me, it was awesome travelling throughout Italy on it.