September, 2022
Germany-wide ticket announced
Following the announcement of a Germany-wide ticket for €49, we, together with the State Students’ Union Conference, demand in an open letter that students must also benefit from this offer. We identified legal uncertainties with the existing semester ticket, as it now costs significantly more as a percentage of the freely available ticket than before (over 65% of the price of the Germany-wide ticket, compared to the previous 40% in relation to the Berlin ABC environmental ticket). Additionally, there’s an announcement of a €9 Berlin AB ticket for recipients of housing benefits and citizen’s income.
October, 2022
Search for political discussions
A month after our urgent letter, VBB and the Transport Senate invite us for discussions, but so far, no solution to the problems is in sight. Initial criticism arises regarding the inability to exempt eligible recipients of the €9 ticket from the semester ticket, and corresponding political demands are raised by Berlin’s student unions.
November, 2022
Rejection by the Senate/VBB
The Transport Senate and VBB reject our demands for a more affordable ticket. Our media campaign takes shape, increasing the pressure on state politics to find a solution.
December, 2022
Solution found for the Summer Semester 2023
The public pressure is effective. Through negotiations, we reach an agreement. The Senate of the State of Berlin grants every student in Berlin a mobility subsidy of 75 euros for the summer semester of 2023.
January-March, 2023
The subsidy gets finalized
Weeks of work to implement the subsidy and resolve remaining contractual discrepancies.
April, 2023
Upgrade from the Semesterticket to Germany-wide Ticket
An initial solution is presented but is technically unfeasible. We criticize that students would still have to pay around 47 euros.
May, 2023
An extremely busy May
The issue with the upgrade gets resolved. Dissatisfaction with the mobile solution remains, but no alternative emerges.
Public relations efforts focus on finding a solution for the semester ticket for the winter semester. The newly elected state government simply stalls the issue, with no offers for discussions from the Senate.
Nevertheless, the Student Parliament (StuPa), AStA TU, and the Berlin State Students’ Committee (LAK Berlin) manage to keep the topic circulating in the press for a month.
June, 2023
Consequences
Since no solution can be found for the legal uncertainties, the Student Parliament decides to suspend the ticket for the winter semester of 2023. The upgrade to the Germany-wide ticket commences and is used by approximately 15% of students in Berlin over the summer.
July – October, 2023
What is happening next?
Discussions with state and federal politicians about the semester ticket situation are underway. Nationwide networking with other student bodies is initiated.
Legal uncertainties continue to increase as the State of Berlin decides to reintroduce the Berlin AB ticket for 29 euros during this period. The current status is that it is expected to be available from July 2024.
As of October: There will no longer be a nationwide semester ticket.
November, 2023
Nationwide Semester Ticket in Germany
December, 2023
First Draft of the Contract
At the end of November, the Germany-wide ticket is surprisingly announced as a semester ticket for €29.40 – the rationale being that it would generate additional revenue for the transport associations in Germany. The Student Parliament (StuPA) meeting, which is supposed to decide on the budget for the next year, is further postponed to December. Work begins to implement this new offer.
January, 2024 – Today
Special Survey
The special survey is organized and takes place between January 22 and January 26. So far, there has been no response from VBB to the previous criticisms.