Here's how to get that Berlin €9 replacement

But it costs €29 and isn't valid nationwide

The €9 ticket was too good to be true. Photo Tenzin Peljor via Creative Commons.

For the moment: To get the right €29 ticket, follow this link to the German Aboshop! As we’ve mentioned in previous newsletters, the €29 is an inflation-fighting stop-gap measure introduced by Berlin that runs from October through December until the federal government gets its act together and comes up with a sensible successor to the €9 ticket

News on €29 ticket:

Berlin’s public transport authority will slash the cost of a monthly ticket for zones AB to €29 from October through December, though there are some minor catches, according to RBB24. The fare will only be available to those who subscribe to a monthly ticket for the period, though the subscription can be cancelled to expire at the end of December. It also won’t extend to zone C because Brandenburg politicians are against the idea.

Berlin mayor Franziska Giffey (SPD) leaked the idea of a €9-ticket replacement to the press early this month, irking both Brandenburg politicians and her coalition partners (Die Grüne and Die Linke) but cheering the electorate. Unlike the €9 ticket, the €29 ticket won’t be valid on other public transport networks in Germany nor Deutsche Bahn’s regional trains.

Subscribe, then cancel because: Bureaucracy

A monthly ticket normally costs €86 if bought as a standalone or €60.67 as part of BVG’s annual subscription.

While Berlin’s government agreed to the plans early this week, the regional transportation authority, known as the VBB, had to first give its approval. VBB officials green-lit the plan in a video conference Thursday.

According to RBB, about 850,000 people have an AB subscription, including tens of thousands of schoolkids who enjoy the subscription at no charge. An additional 70,000 commuters reportedly have either an ABC or BC subscription.

Current subscribers should expect a refund as with the €9 ticket. Everyone else will be required to subscribe here. We’ll do a how-to on the whole thing as soon as details become available.