Construction costs are currently skyrocketing

No sorry, I can't understand the "public transport is too expensive" argument. 100€ per month is three commuting days from Oetti. That's a good 4 days of parking 11 hours a day at Döbeleplatz here in Konstanz. That's 4 times going to the cinema with two people, but without popcorn or 3D. 100€ is nowadays a week's groceries. To travel around the city from morning till evening and on weekends for a month is really not expensive. We in Germany have become way too fixated on public transport having to be cheap instead of good. And afterwards we wonder that it is mainly used by people who can't afford a car or are still too young for one.

In Germany, we have become far too fixated on public transport having to be cheap rather than good.

Well, I would also pay more if it were good. I already regret having purchased the 29 Euro ticket in Berlin. We really left the car at home for a while, but now my wife drives to work every day again because the buses are just so extremely unreliable. And mind you, this isn’t even about a connection that requires changing... In Berlin, public transport is only made attractive by restricting car usage as much as possible. Investments, however—at least it feels that way—are lacking.

Well, it's just like All You Can Eat for 20 EUR. Great deal - I might need that two or three times a year. The rest of the time, I'd like to eat for about 10, not even half of what I eat at All You Can Eat. Or like the famous picture with the nicely paved path that borders a meadow, and on the meadow there's a worn footpath diagonally across. That's certainly a great offer, but it's off the mark, or rather oriented to the market from 30 years ago.

Regarding financing, I believe that if the employer wants me to work at a specific location, they should pay for it. For business trips, that's already the case...

(...) Regarding financing, I am of the opinion that if the employer wants me to work at a certain location, then they should also pay for it. With business trips, it’s already like that...

I do a lot of business trips and it’s getting worse and worse with bureaucracy and payment... because the cheap competition and consequently the cost pressure are increasing.

I guess many employers will react to your demand like this in the future:
“Fine. Then we’ll move our office from Munich to Frankfurt Oder or straight to Warsaw.”

Many still don’t seem to understand what lies ahead for Germany as a location in the coming decades. We are way too expensive, whether wages, energy, or environmental standards.

When I look at what my company charges per hour for me... I’m not surprised that many now hire Eastern Europeans. They do take longer, but they only cost one-third.

The rest of the time I would like to eat for about ten euros, not even half of what I spend at the all you can eat.

For the 2-3 trips to a soccer game/concert/New Year's Eve party/... you can buy a single ticket or day ticket. You probably pay less than the parking fee at the venue and can benefit from the existing infrastructure. Those who use it regularly get a volume discount. As is often the case in life.

Hi,

A pilot project with autonomous shuttle buses will take place in Hamburg starting in 2024.

Yes, on a defined and prepared route with vehicles moving at bicycle speed. That is a start, yes, but unfortunately not much more. Autonomous driving will come, that is no question! But I am very uncertain about when.

Best regards,

Andreas