EXPLAINED: What are the rules of Berlin's new €29 travel pass?
Berlin's public transport association BVG has announced the return of the monthly €29 ticket in 2024. Who's eligible to buy it, and which services are included?
Why is the new €29 travel ticket being introduced?
As a whole, tickets to use Berlin’s U-Bahn, S-Bahn, and trams are only getting more expensive, going up by 6.7 percent on average starting in 2024.
To put it concretely, that means that a single ticket for the AB fare zone (covering most of the city of Berlin itself) will be 30 cents more expensive next year, or €3.50 per ticket. For the entire ABC network (which covers all of Berlin and several cities in neighbouring Brandenburg), a single ticket will set you back €4.40 in future - 40 cents more than before. The price for the four-trip ticket for the AB area will increase by 80 cents to €10.80.
But regular Berlin public transport users who want to dodge the price increase - and even snag a bargain - can buy the new €29 next year.
They’ll then pay a monthly fee to ride within the AB area of Berlin at a price last seen in 1972, according to the Berliner Morgenpost.
Back then for 60 Deutsche marks, passengers could travel through Berlin with the BVG, but only through the western part of the city.
READ ALSO: Berlin public transport fares set to increase in 2024
So when will I be able to get the €29 travel ticket in Berlin - and how?
The ticket is set to be introduced in the first half of 2024. The exact start date has not yet been set, but it should be available by July 1st, 2024 at the latest, according to Berlin public transport operator BVG.
The information will be published as soon as it’s available on their official website.
It’s a follow-up version to a prior €29 ticket, which has not been available since April of this year when the national €49 was introduced.
The €29 ticket can only be purchased as an annual subscription- so with a minimum term of 12 months.
What do existing BVG season ticket holders have to do if they want to switch to the €29 ticket?
Current seasonal ticket holders aren’t required to do anything - other than wait. “It will be easy and convenient to switch to the new subscription. Those who want to join the BVG subscription with the new ticket will of course receive all the information in good time, for example on BVG.de," according to the BVG.
An S-Bahn train arrives at Berlin-Grünau station in the morning. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Christoph Soeder
For whom is the €29 ticket worthwhile?
Financially the season ticket is worth getting for everyone who would buy an average of eight single tickets each month. According to the Senate Transport Administration, it is a good offer, especially for pensioners and the self-employed, neither of whom have the opportunity to get a reduced-price job ticket.
The existing social ticket (Sozialticket) remains completely unaffected by the introduction of the €29 ticket. It will continue to be available to all eligible people.
What are the differences between the national €49 ticket and Berlin's €29 ticket?
The €49 ticket is valid nationwide on local public transport - including Berlin's - so holders can travel - with enough time for slower regional trains - through all German cities and the whole of Germany, including some cities across the border. The €49 ticket is sold as a subscription, but can be cancelled on a monthly basis.
However the new €29 ticket will only be valid in the AB fare zone in Berlin and its only valid for a whole year - so it can't be used to travel across the country.
And unlike the first version of Berlin's €29 ticket and the current monthly Umweltkarte (environment) ticket, the new €29 ticket won't allow holders to take other non-ticket holding passengers with them after 8pm or on the weekend.
So Berlin's new ticket could be ideal for commuters who don't venture regularly outside of Berlin - or other parts of Germany - via public transport. But for those who are planning even a couple regional trips per month, the €49 could be more economical. Note, though, that the future of this ticket and its pricing remains up in the air.
READ ALSO:
- Which foreign countries can you visit with Germany's €49 ticket?
- Why the future of Germany's €49 transport pass is up in the air
What option do €29 ticket users have who regularly need to transport their bikes?
That's still up in the air. But so far there are already monthly tickets for bikes, which cost €12 (AB) and €15 (ABC). Starting on January 1st, 2024, that’s set to go up to €12.80 and €16.
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Why is the new €29 travel ticket being introduced?
As a whole, tickets to use Berlin’s U-Bahn, S-Bahn, and trams are only getting more expensive, going up by 6.7 percent on average starting in 2024.
To put it concretely, that means that a single ticket for the AB fare zone (covering most of the city of Berlin itself) will be 30 cents more expensive next year, or €3.50 per ticket. For the entire ABC network (which covers all of Berlin and several cities in neighbouring Brandenburg), a single ticket will set you back €4.40 in future - 40 cents more than before. The price for the four-trip ticket for the AB area will increase by 80 cents to €10.80.
But regular Berlin public transport users who want to dodge the price increase - and even snag a bargain - can buy the new €29 next year.
They’ll then pay a monthly fee to ride within the AB area of Berlin at a price last seen in 1972, according to the Berliner Morgenpost.
Back then for 60 Deutsche marks, passengers could travel through Berlin with the BVG, but only through the western part of the city.
READ ALSO: Berlin public transport fares set to increase in 2024
So when will I be able to get the €29 travel ticket in Berlin - and how?
The ticket is set to be introduced in the first half of 2024. The exact start date has not yet been set, but it should be available by July 1st, 2024 at the latest, according to Berlin public transport operator BVG.
The information will be published as soon as it’s available on their official website.
It’s a follow-up version to a prior €29 ticket, which has not been available since April of this year when the national €49 was introduced.
The €29 ticket can only be purchased as an annual subscription- so with a minimum term of 12 months.
What do existing BVG season ticket holders have to do if they want to switch to the €29 ticket?
Current seasonal ticket holders aren’t required to do anything - other than wait. “It will be easy and convenient to switch to the new subscription. Those who want to join the BVG subscription with the new ticket will of course receive all the information in good time, for example on BVG.de," according to the BVG.
For whom is the €29 ticket worthwhile?
Financially the season ticket is worth getting for everyone who would buy an average of eight single tickets each month. According to the Senate Transport Administration, it is a good offer, especially for pensioners and the self-employed, neither of whom have the opportunity to get a reduced-price job ticket.
The existing social ticket (Sozialticket) remains completely unaffected by the introduction of the €29 ticket. It will continue to be available to all eligible people.
What are the differences between the national €49 ticket and Berlin's €29 ticket?
The €49 ticket is valid nationwide on local public transport - including Berlin's - so holders can travel - with enough time for slower regional trains - through all German cities and the whole of Germany, including some cities across the border. The €49 ticket is sold as a subscription, but can be cancelled on a monthly basis.
However the new €29 ticket will only be valid in the AB fare zone in Berlin and its only valid for a whole year - so it can't be used to travel across the country.
And unlike the first version of Berlin's €29 ticket and the current monthly Umweltkarte (environment) ticket, the new €29 ticket won't allow holders to take other non-ticket holding passengers with them after 8pm or on the weekend.
So Berlin's new ticket could be ideal for commuters who don't venture regularly outside of Berlin - or other parts of Germany - via public transport. But for those who are planning even a couple regional trips per month, the €49 could be more economical. Note, though, that the future of this ticket and its pricing remains up in the air.
READ ALSO:
- Which foreign countries can you visit with Germany's €49 ticket?
- Why the future of Germany's €49 transport pass is up in the air
What option do €29 ticket users have who regularly need to transport their bikes?
That's still up in the air. But so far there are already monthly tickets for bikes, which cost €12 (AB) and €15 (ABC). Starting on January 1st, 2024, that’s set to go up to €12.80 and €16.
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