Friday, June 13
Is Berlin about to abandon the Deutschlandticket?
The story of Berlin’s cheap public transport experiment is beginning to look like a textbook case of how to take a good idea and mess it up. When the €9 monthly ticket launched in summer 2022, it was a runaway success: designed to ease the burden of inflation, COVID-19, and soaring energy prices after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it offered unlimited local and regional travel. More than 50 million tickets were sold, traffic declined, and CO₂ emissions dropped by an estimated 1.8 million tonnes.
That €9 scheme lasted just three months, but its popularity triggered a flurry of follow-ups. Berlin briefly introduced a €29 monthly AB-zone pass, before the federal government launched the Deutschlandticket in May 2023—a €49-per-month national pass. The two coexisted briefly, until Berlin withdrew its version. The Deutschlandticket is now set to rise to €58 per month in January 2025. Now, after all that back and forth, Berlin’s CDU mayor, Kai Wegner, appears to be threatening to pull out of the scheme altogether.
Berlin currently subsidises the ticket to the tune of roughly €145 million a year, covering about half the cost for residents. Wegner wants the federal government to take over the funding.
He’s not alone. Other states are also warning they may withdraw unless long-term financing is secured. The current cost-sharing deal between federal and state governments is only guaranteed until the end of 2025. While the coalition in Berlin has pledged to continue the scheme beyond that date, there’s no legal commitment in place. The Deutschlandticket remains one of Germany’s boldest public transport initiatives – but unless a new funding model is agreed on, its future looks increasingly uncertain.
