Berlin makes public transport free for all school children in the city

2 August 2019, 10:53

By Naomi Bartram

@naomibartram

Starting yesterday, all school students in Berlin can ride public transport for free in the capital.

Berlin have taken a huge step forward this week as children will now be able to ride public transport completely free.

Starting yesterday (Thursday 1st August), all school students in the city and wider Brandenburg state can catch the U-Bahn, S-Bahn, tram or bus for no charge at all.

Children must be over the age of six and have to register online for a Schülerticket. Kids who don’t attend a school in Berlin can also qualify as long as they bring along a school ID.

Apprentices in the German city will pay just €365 a year (working out at €1 a day) to use the city’s public transport network as well, if they show proof of their training provider.

Berlin transport senator Regine Günther explained the aim is to increase public transport usage and help families with travel costs.

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He said: “The free student ticket will be a milestone in bringing young people closer to public transport.

Before adding: “Families benefit from saved costs and the climate from avoided emissions.”

It’s thought that more than 360,000 pupils will benefit from the new ticket, and it even allows for taking along a bike, dog or additional child up to six years old without charge.

This comes after Luxembourg became the first country in the world to announce they were abolishing public transport costs altogether.

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At the moment, travel costs €2 for up to two hours, while an all-day second-class ticket on every form of public transport is just €4.

But from summer 2019, tickets are set to be abolished completely meaning anyone can travel around for free.

Several other cities in Europe have also introduced plans to make public transportation free or significantly cheaper in order to ease traffic and protect the environment.

The small German city of Monheim is set to offer a free bus service starting in April 2020.