Berlin considers extending €9 public transport offer
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Germany’s popular €9 monthly transport ticket will expire at the end of August. But Berliners could benefit from the offer until the end of the year, according to a proposal from a party in the city-state government.
Published: 26 August 2022 12:43 CEST
A customer at Berlin’s main station holds the €9 monthly ticket for June and July. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Christoph Soeder
Berlin’s Social Democrats (SPD) want to extend the €9 ticket for a limited period, according to media reports.
The party, which leads the coalition government in the city-state, has proposed to extend the €9 ticket regionally until the end of the year.
However, people with the ticket would only be able to use it in the AB fare zone – that is, in Berlin, not Brandenburg. And it would not be valid nationwide unlike the current €9 offer.
The story first surfaced in media reports on Friday morning. SPD sources then confirmed the proposals to German news agency DPA.
READ ALSO: 5 things to know about public transport in Germany after the €9 ticket
The SPD in Berlin, along with coalition partners the Greens and the Left party were meeting on Friday to discuss how they can support residents with the spiralling costs of energy.
The proposal for a new regional €9 ticket is one of the options on the table. The costs are currently estimated to be around €300 to €400 million.
Successor to €9 ticket being debated
It comes as the nationwide cheap transport offer is set to expire at the end of this month. For the months of June, July and August, people have been able to travel on all public transport networks across Germany – whether it’s the bus, train, tram or U-Bahn – for just €9 per month.
There have been various discussions about bringing in a follow-up ticket. Possible successor solutions will be a topic in a special conference of state transport ministers on Friday.