Volt on transport

Volt wants to reshape urban transport so that fewer cars are on the road and buses, trains, bicycles and pedestrians get more space. In rural areas, flexible services such as on-demand buses are meant to preserve individual mobility while creating climate-friendly alternatives.

Volt wants fewer cars in cities. Buses and trains should run more often and on time. There should be more safe bike lanes. In the countryside, there should be on-demand buses. An on-demand bus comes when you call for it.

For cities, the platform lists frequent, accessible public transit, safe bike lanes, bicycle streets, parking facilities and sharing services. Under the 15-minute city model, housing, work and leisure should be within walking distance so that less motorized traffic is needed. For rural areas, Volt plans on-demand buses, park-and-ride, car and ride sharing, and more charging points for electric vehicles. The platform cites the bicycle parking garage in Utrecht, with more than 12,500 spaces, as a model.

Volt calls for nationwide speed limits: 120 km/h on the Autobahn, 80 km/h on rural roads and 30 km/h in built-up areas. According to the platform, this would make traffic safer, cut CO₂ emissions and reduce noise.

Volt wants new speed limits for all of Germany. The limit on the Autobahn should be 120 km/h. The limit on country roads should be 80 km/h. The limit in towns should be 30 km/h. Volt says this is safer, quieter and better for the climate.

The speed limits would apply across the whole country. The plan is 120 km/h on the Autobahn, 80 km/h on rural roads and 30 km/h in built-up areas. The platform justifies this with greater road safety, lower CO₂ emissions, protection for more vulnerable road users and less noise.

Volt wants to expand and modernize the rail network, keep the Deutschlandticket (nationwide transit pass) and restructure Deutsche Bahn. According to the platform, rail should become a reliable alternative to cars and planes and enable emission-free freight transport.

Volt wants more and better rail lines. The Deutschlandticket should stay. That is a transit pass for all of Germany. Deutsche Bahn should be split up: the tracks and the train service would be separate. Europe should get more fast trains and night trains.

The platform plans to push ahead with the Deutschlandtakt (a nationwide coordinated timetable) and to secure and further develop the Deutschlandticket. At Deutsche Bahn, network and operations would be separated, with a new federal competence center steering network development. A European high-speed network and night trains are meant to make rail the preferred mode of travel across the continent. In freight, transfer facilities between road, waterway and rail would be digitized and automated. Volt points to Switzerland as a model, with its coordinated timetable, long-distance concessions and higher investment.

Volt wants riding without a valid ticket to be treated as an administrative offense rather than a crime. Above all, no one should serve a substitute prison sentence for it anymore.

Riding a bus or train without a ticket is a crime in Germany today. Volt wants to change that. It should only be a minor offense, like a parking violation. No one should go to prison for it.

Riding without a ticket would be removed from criminal law and handled as an administrative offense. Substitute prison sentences would no longer be imposed for it. A substitute prison sentence is jail time a person must serve if they do not pay a criminal fine.

Volt wants to introduce an electronically collected toll on the Autobahn, with the amount depending on distance driven and emission class. According to the platform, those who use the infrastructure heavily should contribute more to its upkeep and expansion.

Volt wants a toll on the Autobahn. A toll is a fee for driving on a road. People who drive farther pay more. People with cars that pollute more also pay more. The toll applies only on the Autobahn.

The toll would be collected electronically and based on distance and the vehicle's emission class. It would apply only to the Autobahn, not to other roads. Volt compares it to infrastructure charges for electricity, mobile networks or rail. The platform cites France as a model, where the revenue goes to maintaining and expanding highways and an automated free-flow system lets drivers pass without stopping at toll booths.