As expected, the VBB quietly increased prices for most public transportation fares in Berlin.
The price increase isn’t huge, but still annoying, considering the prices are already comparatively high and despite the stereotypes of Germans being punctual, the public transport system (especially the Ringbahn) is very frequently late or not working.
You can find my massive (updated) guide to transportation in Berlin here.
So what changed?
One-Way Ticket (Einzelfahrschein)
- AB Normal: €2.80 → €2.90
- AB Reduced: €1.70 → €1.80
- ABC Normal: €3.40 → €3.60
- ABC Reduced: €2.50 → €2.60
Pro Tip: If you buy 4 of these at the same time, you can save quite a bit of money. The fare for the AB 4-trip-tickets (4-Fahrten-Karte) for example are €9 (or €5.60 Reduced), which actually stayed the same price (no increase). This saves you €2.60, so it’s almost like a “Buy Three Get One Free” deal.
Short Ticket (Kurzstrecke)
- Normal: €1.70 → €1.90
- Reduced: €1.30 → €1.40
Pro Tip: Similar to the single trip tickets above, you can buy 4 of these at the same time for a big discount, and they also stayed the same price: €5.60 (Normal [ABC] saving you €2) or €4.40 Reduced.
Day Ticket (Tageskarte)
- AB Normal: €7.00 → €8.60
- AB Reduced: €4.70 → €5.50
- ABC Normal: €7.70 → €9.60
- ABC Reduced: €5.30 → €6.00
Seven-Day Ticket (7-Tage-Karte)
- AB: €30 → €34
Monthly (Monatskarte)
- Normal AB: €81 → €84
- 10 am (10-Uhr-Karte) AB: €59.10 → €61
Group Day Ticket
- Up to 5 people: €19.90 → €23.50
Bicycle
- AB: €1.90 → €2.00
- Day Ticket: €4.80 → €4.90
- Monthly: €10.20 → €10.50
Extension
- For A or C: €1.70 → €1.90
Tourist Passes
Tickets for the tourist cards WelcomeCard and CityTourCard have also increased. For example a CityTourCard for 72 hours is now €29.90, and a 72 hour WelcomeCard is now €33. You can find more info on their websites or at ticket kiosks.
Not everybody is pleased with the increase, especially as the trains and buses get more and more crowded with no badly needed increase in frequency and common delays.
There has also been talks about a €365 per year ticket, which was successfully tested in Vienna, but we still don’t know the status of that.
Overall, this increase doesn’t change much for regular commuters, but the ones who will pay the most are those who use day tickets frequently.