Unprepared to wait for the rest of the country to make a decision on a follow-up scheme to the 9-euro ticket, the city-state of Berlin has pressed ahead and announced it will offer a 29-euro monthly ticket until the end of 2022. 

Unlimited travel in Berlin AB zone for 29 euros per month

The ticket, which will be available from October 1, 2022 until December 31, 2022 and covers the AB fare zones in Berlin only, was given the green light on Thursday afternoon. In the end, the state of Brandenburg, which is also covered by the same transport association, opted not to take part in the scheme. 

The ticket will only be available as a subscription (Abo), rather than being available for purchase for individual months. That means that all people who currently have an AB season ticket - as well as people who now decide to purchase one - will benefit from the discount. However, people with ABC and BC tickets will not benefit, as zone C is in Brandenburg. 

Anyone who takes out a new subscription will have a “special right of cancellation” until the end of December. VBB has promised that further details will be decided and communicated soon. 

Interim solution until Germany-wide discounted ticket arrives

The ticket is designed to be an interim solution while the federal government, federal states and transport associations hammer out an agreement to bring in a nationwide discounted ticket for public transportation to follow up the success of the 9-euro ticket scheme. 

Berlin Mayor Franziska Giffey tweeted on Thursday that Berlin was “[leading] the way” with its new ticket, which she described as a “clear sign of climate protection, modern mobility and social participation.” 

The project - which was backed by the Berlin coalition of Social Democrat, Green and Left party members - came close to tanking, facing strong criticism from Brandenburg and initially being blocked by the district administrator of the Mӓrkisch-Oderland district, Gernot Schmidt. Only when Schmidt lifted his veto in an emergency meeting on Thursday was the ticket waved through. 

The VBB transport authority told dpa that a formal decision was still pending, since the meeting was held at very short notice, but that the written procedure will be “initiated immediately” and they will work at “full speed” to get the 29-euro ticket off the ground.