Massive cost explosion: Berlin's 29-euro ticket before the end!

Massive cost explosion: Berlin's 29-euro ticket before the end!

The 29-euro ticket in Berlin, once introduced as the SPD election gift in the 2023 repetition election, is now abolished due to strict austerity measures. The Senate under the leadership of the CDU and SPD plans to take out the offer of the popular ticket, which was only introduced in July 2024, on January 1, 2025. The ticket was originally planned for 300 million euros, but the actual use remained behind the expectations, as the Berliner Zeitung reported. About 270,000 subscriptions were sold shortly before the setting, but new subscriptions have not been acquired since December 11th.

Financial consequences of the ticket-off

The financial effects of the abolition are enormous. By December 12, 2024, 35 million euros already flowed from the state budget, according to the State Secretary Johannes Wieczorek. Another 13.3 million euros are in the room for existing subscriptions. Total costs amount to over 52 million euros within the first six months. With the newly developed regulations, existing subscribers can continue to use their tickets for 29 euros, although the Germany ticket will increase to 58 euros from January 2025, which is a complicated prize for loyal customers.

The decision to abolish was broad resistance. While the AfD represents the deletion as a positive development, the left described the withdrawal as an "absolute disaster". Critics argue that the offer was financially not sustainable from the start, as it was fully supported by the state of Berlin. Especially since the SPD leaders, like Franziska Giffey, are now under pressure with these developments. As the Berliner Zeitung reported, the 29-euro ticket will no longer be continued in the current form and the Senate Department has to implement alternative austerity measures, while a total of three billion euros are to be saved before the coalition.

The entire development shows how large political promises can quickly disintegrate under the pressure of financial realities. It remains to be seen whether this has a lasting impact on the number of users or the trust of voters in politics, while the Senate must continue to go on the difficult course of budget consolidation, as RBB24 reported.