Public transport in Berlin consists of suburban trains “S-Bahn”, underground “U-Bahn”, trams and buses. Public transport also includes ferries, as Berlin is a land of lakes. Berliners and visitors to the city are encouraged to use public transport even more with various promotions from time to time.
You don’t need a car in Berlin – in fact, the city has the lowest number of cars per capita in Europe, according to several international travel guides. Transport in Berlin is carried out by the company BVG (“Berlin Transport Services”), which has its own BVG app on the Internet.
Berlin’s public transport is comprehensive, covering all corners of the vast city. It goes over, under and through Berlin, connecting to the rest of Germany and beyond. The whole of Berlin is divided into three zones – A, B and C. A is the center of Berlin, B – the middle part, and C – the suburbs. For example, Tegele airport is located in zone B, while Schönfeld airport is already in zone C. Ticket prices depend on the zones in which you move.
In Berlin, public transport operates on an “all-inclusive” system – one ticket provides access to various transport options, and most people use several modes of public transport per day.
Underground train or “U-Bahn”
The U-Bahn operates mainly underground within the Berlin city limits (Zone AB). The first stations opened in 1902 and have been in continuous operation with periodic closures for improvements and expansion. You can find the entrance to the subway by the illuminated letter U. The U-Bahn has over 170 stations on 10 lines, including the famous U2 line (not related to the strip).
The Berlin U-Bahn runs from 4:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. on weekdays. It runs 24/7 with reduced frequency on weekends and public holidays. It runs every 5-10 minutes in the city center, and every 10-15 minutes after 8 p.m., until the night buses take over.
City train or “S-Bahn”
“S-Bahn” or “Stadtbahn” (city train) is a local railway. It mainly runs above ground. The distance between stations is longer than the U-Bahn and it is the fastest way to travel around the city, to the outskirts and suburbs such as Potsdam and Wannsee.
Unlike most transport in Berlin, the S-Bahn is operated by Deutsche Bahn (the German state railway company). S-Bahn stations can be identified by the green and white S symbol. Maps are available on station platforms and electronic boards provide information about the arrival of the next train. The S-Bahn covers 15 lines with almost 170 train stations. During the week, the S-Bahn runs from 4:30 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. It runs 24 hours a day on weekends and public holidays. Trains run at least every 10 minutes. Their frequency is reduced to 10 and 20 minutes during off-peak hours and every 30 minutes at night.
Berlin trams also run at night
Mostly in the former East Berlin, trams run at street level, with tracks winding their way across the city. “MetroNetz”, marked with M, offers a higher level – metro tram service (runs approximately every 10 minutes) and operates 24 hours a day. Trams run every 30 minutes at night. The city has more than 20 tram lines with 377 stops.
With Berlin buses to the most popular tourist attractions
Berlin buses cover the remaining urban areas of the city. Buses can also be a great way to get around the city. Many tourists use them to see the city’s most popular attractions. Bus stops are marked with a circular sign with a green H. Bus stops often have a shelter and an electronic board. Berlin has more than 350 bus routes and more than 2,634 bus stops. Bus numbers are from 100 to 399.
“MetroBus” lines start with the letter M. “ExpressBus” is a high-speed bus service with fewer stops marked with an X. There is an “ExpressBus” service to/from both Berlin airports (X7 at Schönfeld Airport and X9 at Tegel Airport).
Night buses take over the city when other modes of transport are closed. They are marked with the letter N and depart every 30 minutes
Tickets in Berlin public transport
All-modal tickets are valid for two hours with unlimited one-way transfers. For example, you can travel within a city on a single ticket for 120 minutes from the time the ticket is stamped/purchased, but you cannot go in one direction and return in the same direction. Children under the age of six do not need tickets, but children between the ages of 6 and 14 have a discount.
Prices depend on trip duration and travel zones. The city is divided into A, B and C zones. Most of the city is in the A and B zone. A is inside the ring road, B just outside and C up to 15 kilometers around Berlin. Regular tickets include zone A and B, but you can buy ABC tickets (usually only needed if you’re going to Schönfeld Airport or Potsdam). You can also buy an AB ticket and get a C extension if you go to zone C on one journey.
Ticket machines are available at U-Bahn and S-Bahn stations. Tickets can be bought in small shops with BVG signs, on buses, trams or in the BVG app (tickets must be purchased from the app before boarding the transport).
Most tickets must be validated in a special machine – a validator – after boarding the vehicle. There is no need to validate a ticket purchased on the vehicle, as it already has a date on it. Before boarding the Berlin subway, the ticket must be validated in a validator located on the platform. Trams and buses have validators inside.
A valid ticket is required to ride public transport and is largely a matter of honour. In the subway and public transport, tickets are checked by conductors – both in uniform and in plain clothes – and asked to show the ticket, saying: “Fahrscheine, bitte!” (Ticket please!)
If caught without a ticket, a fine of 60 euros is applied. If the ticket is not validated or expired, it will be treated as driving without a ticket and will also incur a fine.
Even on those tickets with an unlimited number of vehicle changes, return travel is prohibited. This does not apply to timed tickets valid for a day or more. Baggage transportation is included in the ticket price. Transportation of bicycles is paid for separately.
There are also special tickets for tourists, such as the “Berlin Welcome Card,” which gives discounts of up to 50% and benefits for visiting museums and other attractions.
At the beginning of 2018, sports shoes equipped with an annual pass on the Berlin public transport network caused a great stir in Berlin, the web media “The Local” reported. These shoes produced by the German company “Adidas” were on sale for only one day and only in two stores in Berlin. Adidas made only 500 pairs of the sneakers equipped with the annual pass.
The shoes generated so much interest among Berliners that several hundred people formed queues outside the two stores. Some people started waiting the day before, despite the snow and cold weather.
These unusual shoes allowed their owner to ride on all routes managed by the Berlin transport company BVG – trains, subways, trams, buses and ferries – until the end of the year. Shoes with an annual ticket cost 180 euros, while an annual ticket in the city’s public transport can cost more than 760 euros.
Accessibility of Berlin’s public transport
U-Bahn and S-Bahn access is barrier-free, with escalators and elevators serving many, but not all, stations. The maps indicate the availability of stations.
Newer trains offer level boarding with no more than two inches (5.08 centimeters) of space between the train and the platform. A ramp can be provided (manually set by the driver).
Passengers with severe disabilities who have a permit and an identity card are transported free of charge on all forms of public transport in the city. A registered accompanying person also travels free of charge.
Information about public transport lines, vehicles and station equipment suitable for people with disabilities and reduced mobility can be found on the websites.
People with mobility impairments and prams are invited to look for the doors marked wheelchairs/prams in the vehicle, and cyclists – the second door of the bus.
Offers to encourage the use of public transport
In order to reduce dependence on Russian oil, the Berlin government decided last year to reduce public transport costs for residents. In the summer of 2022, Berliners could buy a monthly pass for local public transport for just nine euros a month, a tenth of the normal price. The ticket was offered for three months and was called “9 for 90”.
Such a low monthly ticket price was valid for three months – until August 31. A monthly ticket for the whole summer for three months cost only 27 euros. The tickets were valid for city transport, local and regional transport routes, but not for express trains. To offset the costs incurred by transport companies due to the cheap monthly tickets, the government allocated 2.5 billion euros to the federal states.
As part of these measures, the tax on gasoline and diesel fuel was also reduced for three months. The energy tax was also reduced to the minimum level allowed in the European Union. This may have resulted in more people buying low-cost tickets. However, this does not necessarily mean that more people left their cars at home to take the train, tram or bus. Or after the summer, people will continue to use public transport, because no one likes to wait for a bus in the cold, the media reasoned.
From May 1 this year, German residents and tourists can use the personalized monthly ticket, which costs 49 euros, introduced after long discussions between the government and the federal states, to travel by local and regional public transport. “Deutschlandticket” was introduced in order to reduce the impact of the cost of living, to make the use of public transport easier even for those who so far traveled more by private car transport, reported “Deutsche Welle”.
Politicians also noted that shifting people from private cars to public transport would help Germany meet its climate goals faster. However, these monthly tickets cannot be used on long-distance buses and high-speed train journeys.
While Berlin and other major cities such as Hamburg and Frankfurt are easily accessible by public transport, this is not the case in rural Germany, with 90% of households owning at least one car.
The low population density in rural areas limits the availability and frequency of public transport. It also limits the development of cycle paths. An opinion poll found that 75% of German households that regularly use their own car are ready to switch to public transport. 66% could imagine cycling more often. The survey also found that rural residents are almost as willing to cycle as urban residents.
However, it was also shown that 40% of German households, who see their car as a status symbol, do not want to switch to a bicycle under any circumstances. These are not only logistical problems, but also cultural problems.
Not quite a bus and not quite a taxi
The company “Berlkönig” offers public transport on request. Since September 2018, Berlin has been testing an electric shuttle bus service designed for on-demand carpooling. There are more than 300 vehicles in the “Berlkönig” fleet.
Every trip is booked through the BVG app. The algorithm combines travel requests from multiple passengers with the same destination. This creates a route and seats passengers in a shared vehicle. It’s cheaper than a taxi and more comfortable than a bus, and so far more than two million trips have been made.
Could rural areas expand this type of initiative? Promoters of this form of transport think it could be particularly effective in regional areas with large older populations. As such, it could create a more permanent way of “getting” people out of their cars, if not bridging the gap between private and public transport. And ultimately reduce Germany’s dependence on Russian fossil fuels.
2023-09-27 02:15:03
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