Buses run by the Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) will no longer accept cash payments from passengers, the transport association has announced.

Cash payments no longer possible on Berlin buses

From September 1, 2024, bus drivers in Berlin will no longer accept cash payments, the BVG has announced.

In future, passengers will only be able to purchase tickets using bank cards and digital payment apps such as Apple or Google Pay. The transport association has also said that it will expand the number of places where passengers can buy tickets, to include Lotto shops, Spätis, petrol stations and other retailers.

Just three Berlin bus tickets bought with cash each day

According to the BVG, around 99 percent of passengers who use public transportation in Berlin board with a valid ticket already in their wallets. An average of just three bus tickets are sold each day to passengers who pay in cash.

The association claimed that switching exclusively to card payments for bus tickets would bring an “enormous relief for bus drivers in Berlin”.

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