Berlin to extend €29 travel card and offer a new €9 'social ticket'
The Berlin Senate announced plans to continue sales of the €29 ticket for the Berlin AB area until at least the end of March 2023 and to reduce the cost of the social ticket to just €9.
The state-funded €29 monthly ticket has been available in Berlin since the start of October and was introduced as a successor solution to the €9 ticket which was available nationwide over the summer.
Until Tuesday, the plan had been to keep the €29 ticket offer in place until the end of December, before the new nationwide €49 monthly ticket was due to come in January.
READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: How will Berlin’s new €29 transport ticket work? ✎
However, according to Berlin Mayor Franziska Giffey, the Berlin Senate no longer thinks that the €49 ticket will be ready to go on sale by the beginning of 2023, and has therefore decided to extend the €29 ticket for an initial period of three months.
The Senate also announced that starting from January 2023, there will be a new social ticket in Berlin for €9 a month until at least the end of March. Currently, Berlin's "Sozialticket" costs €27.50 and is available only to those who qualify for the Berlin Pass, such as benefits claimants.
How things will proceed from April 2023 is still open and depends on when the €49 euro nationwide travelcard will be launched.
READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: How will Germany’s new €49 travel ticket work?
According to mobility senator Bettina Jarasch (Greens), one option which is currently on the table is to then "build on the €49 ticket in some places" and offer a discounted version for Berlin. She also put forth her idea of developing a socially graduated public transport fare structure in the region together with the Berlin-Brandenburg Transport Association (VBB).
On Tuesday, the Berlin Senate agreed on a supplementary €2.6 billion budget to help fund this and other relief measures for the capital's residents. The cheaper ticket alone will cost the state of Berlin €500 million in 2022 and 2023.
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The state-funded €29 monthly ticket has been available in Berlin since the start of October and was introduced as a successor solution to the €9 ticket which was available nationwide over the summer.
Until Tuesday, the plan had been to keep the €29 ticket offer in place until the end of December, before the new nationwide €49 monthly ticket was due to come in January.
READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: How will Berlin’s new €29 transport ticket work? ✎
However, according to Berlin Mayor Franziska Giffey, the Berlin Senate no longer thinks that the €49 ticket will be ready to go on sale by the beginning of 2023, and has therefore decided to extend the €29 ticket for an initial period of three months.
The Senate also announced that starting from January 2023, there will be a new social ticket in Berlin for €9 a month until at least the end of March. Currently, Berlin's "Sozialticket" costs €27.50 and is available only to those who qualify for the Berlin Pass, such as benefits claimants.
How things will proceed from April 2023 is still open and depends on when the €49 euro nationwide travelcard will be launched.
READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: How will Germany’s new €49 travel ticket work?
According to mobility senator Bettina Jarasch (Greens), one option which is currently on the table is to then "build on the €49 ticket in some places" and offer a discounted version for Berlin. She also put forth her idea of developing a socially graduated public transport fare structure in the region together with the Berlin-Brandenburg Transport Association (VBB).
On Tuesday, the Berlin Senate agreed on a supplementary €2.6 billion budget to help fund this and other relief measures for the capital's residents. The cheaper ticket alone will cost the state of Berlin €500 million in 2022 and 2023.
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