Price increase at BVG: Users must now behave cleverly!

Price increase at BVG: Users must now behave cleverly!

A new shock for Berliners: From January 1, 2024, the prices for tickets in local public transport increase. The Berliner Zeitung reports and emphasizes that the costs in the VBB tariff area are increased by an average of around 6.7 percent. The BVG, which brings thousands of Berliners to its goals every day and belongs to the Berlin-Brandenburg Transport Association (VBB), sees increasing costs for personnel, fuel and energy, which makes this price increase necessary. Single tickets for the areas and ABC become more expensive, and the monthly tickets are also affected, for example the VBB environmental card, which increases from 91 euros to 99 euros a month. The annual ticket is even increased to 856.80 euros, a significant increase of over 50 euros.

price increase and possible loopholes

As reported by the BVG, the increases for different ticket models are clearly noticeable. The single ticket will cost 3.50 euros instead of 3.20 euros in the future. The short distance is also increased from EUR 2.20 to EUR 2.40. For casual drivers, the 4-trip card with a price of 10.80 euros remains the cheapest option. The loss of the popular 29-euro ticket, which made mobility in the city easier for many, is particularly violent. Despite the rising prices, there is a way to save: Paper forms that are purchased before the price increase are valid until June 30, 2025. This enables passengers to secure a supply of tickets until the introduction of the new tariffs, while app users do not have this advantage, as explained by the BVG.

Fair use of public transport in Berlin could be severely impaired by the new tariffs, especially for people with low incomes. While the social ticket prices of 9 euros remain unchanged in 2024, the price for the Potsdam student ticket is a positive exception: it drops to 15 euros per month for one year. Nevertheless, the question remains how the Berliners will deal with the new increases that lead to an additional financial burden in a time of increasing cost of living.