Significant boost in Berlin's social security benefits
In a recent interview with the "Tagesspiegel", Social Senator Cansel Kiziltepe announced a planned increase in the price of the social ticket for public transport in Berlin. The current single ticket for the AB area costs 3.80 euros, but this price is set to rise to 27.50 euros as of January 1, 2026.
The oppositional Greens, led by Oda Hassepaß, are sharply criticizing this development, labeling it a "social policy scandal". The Left faction in the House of Representatives echoes this sentiment, stating that the price increase is "neither Christian nor social".
The Greens argue that the CDU and SPD are making politics against the weakest. Hassepaß labels the price increase as "short-sighted, unsocial, and irresponsible." The criticism is mainly directed at the social impacts of the measure, affecting population groups such as people with low incomes, single parents, unemployed people, and pensioners with small pensions.
The black-red coalition, which includes the SPD and CDU, is planning to justify the price increase by stating that the decision for the 2022/23 double budget will set the ticket price at the same level as it was in 2022. However, this price increase represents a tripling of the current price within a few months.
The social ticket was originally reintroduced in 2005 after being abolished by the Berlin transport companies in 2004. In 2016, the red-red-green Senate agreed to reduce the price of the social ticket from 36 euros to 27.50 euros. In April 2025, the price for the social ticket was increased from 9 to 19 euros.
The financial senator responsible for the increase in the price of the social ticket is not explicitly named in the search results. However, the social senator announcing and associated with the price hike is Cansel Kiziltepe (SPD). The discussions mainly cite Social Senator Cansel Kiziltepe as the representative announcing the price rise.
It is important to note that the VBB environmental card Berlin AB currently costs 76 euros per month in a subscription. The price for the Germany ticket, which allows travel in almost all German local transport networks, is threatened to increase from 58 euros to up to 64 euros from January 2026.
The social ticket was transferred to the individual budget of the Senate Administration for Integration, Work, and Social Affairs under Senator Katja Kipping (The Left) in 2022 and was reduced to 9 euros as part of the introduction of the 29-euro Berlin-AB ticket.
The controversy surrounding the social ticket price increase continues to escalate, with both opposition parties and affected population groups voicing their concerns. The black-red coalition maintains that the increase is necessary, but the Greens and The Left are adamant that it will have detrimental effects on the most vulnerable members of society.
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