Berlin’s Christian Democrat (CDU) and Social Democrat (SPD) coalition government has announced that it will scrap the city’s 29-euro monthly public transport subscription.

CDU-SPD coalition to abolish Berlin 29-euro ticket

The coalition government in Berlin has announced that it will abolish the city’s 29-euro monthly public transport pass, also known as the Berlin-Abo.

The monthly ticket, which gives anyone unlimited access to public transport in the AB zone (the zone covering all of the inner city and most of suburban Berlin) was initially available between October 2022 and April 2023, before being eclipsed by the Deutschlandticket and finally reintroduced in July 2024.

The decision was announced as part of the city’s 2025 budget. 300 million euros was initially earmarked to fund the ticket through 2025, but Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) was keen to tighten the purse strings further. 

The SPD floated increasing the ticket price to 39 euros per month, which they claimed would save the city 100 million euros, but Wegner said the budget was too tight and the ticket would be axed completely.

The BVG has been instructed to scrap the ticket plan as soon as possible, but speaking at a press conference on November 19 Senator for Economic Affairs Franziska Giffey (SPD) said that existing subscriptions could be used until their expiry date. 

Wegner has planned cuts in many other areas. Among them, the city’s culture sector - for which it is internationally renowned - will lose 11,6 percent of its budget. 150 million euros in housing subsidies will be replaced with loans and guarantees. November 13 saw thousands of workers in the culture sector join a protest against the proposed cuts which have now been confirmed.

Deutschlandticket endangered amid federal coalition collapse

While Wegner’s 2025 budget hit the final nail in the coffin for the 29-euro ticket in Berlin, the nationwide Deutschlandticket is on life support. Transport ministers representing Germany's 16 federal states have warned that the monthly subscription, which allows regional and public transport across Germany, is at risk amid the federal government’s coalition collapse.

The ministers are calling on the federal government to urgently amend the Regionalisation Act before Olaf Scholz faces his confidence vote on December 16 and voters likely head to the polls for a snap election on February 23, 2025.

Though the coalition government agreed to amend the Regionalisation Act in July when federal states were scrambling to figure out how to fund the Deutschlandticket, the amendment is yet to be officially signed off.

The amendment allowed leftover funds from 2023 to be used to finance the ticket until the end of 2024. This meant a price freeze was possible, the Deutschlandticket would cost 49 euros until the end of 2024 and a price rise to 58 euros per month was planned for 2025 and ensured until the beginning of 2026.

Ministers now warn that unless the planned Regionalisation Act amendment becomes law imminently, the Deutschlandticket could face another price hike sooner than 2026. As of November 15, the opposing CDU / CSU have said they will support passing the Act. Now running a minority government, Scholz’s remaining SPD-Greens coalition needs the CDU’s support to pass the bill.

The federal government has made no official commitments to funding the ticket from 2026 onwards. The long-term fate of the ticket is likely to be uncertain until after the election.

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