Buses and trains almost as full as before Corona

Buses and streetcars operated by Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) have been almost as full as they were before Corona for the past three months. The company attributed this to the nine-euro ticket, which has been available since June and expires at the end of August.

"The numbers show: The nine-euro ticket has been very well received overall," the company said Saturday. It said it had sold around 3.3 million nine-euro tickets by Aug. 23, according to a preliminary tally

As a result, passenger demand averaged 94 percent of the corresponding period in 2019 over the three months, it said. In May, the figure was 80 percent, he said.

"The ticket was used in particular during off-peak times, for example for shopping, leisure and excursions," BVG summed up. However, there had also been more passengers at peak commuting times than in May this year. By mid-September, BVG wants to determine how many passengers left their cars behind because of the low-cost monthly pass.

BVG boss Eva Kreienkamp emphasized that the ticket was not only inexpensive, but above all easy to understand. "Simply designed ticket systems must therefore be a requirement in all considerations of new offerings," she said, referring to the discussions about successor solutions.

"The three months have brought local transport into focus," Kreienkamp said. It must now be made attractive in the long term, she added.

Photo by Annie Spratt