As participants start to recruit new forum members to try to influence the proposed objectives, the debate becomes more and more heterogeneous.

Some people are arguing that the whole structure of the tariff system needs to be changed, others are just asking for a small increase in the level of subsidies the HVV gets from the city of Hamburg. Almost every position in between these two extremes is represented in this active phase of the debate.

An event that stimulates a lot of participation is when a civil servant posts a message indicating that the HVV's fare tariffs are more or less completely determined by the city's government - and that the financial loss is borne by the citizens. The discussion now centres around the question of what amount should be spent on subsidizing public transport.

As this topic emerges, a number of institutional players join the debate and start pushing their specific needs. Student unions call for cheaper student tickets, environmentalists want tax reduction for public transport users, and family associations call for politicians to provide a higher level of financial support for families.