Exactly where can you go with a single-trip ticket in Berlin?
Inspired by this question about UK inter-city rail.
In Berlin, a single-trip ticket is valid for: "a single journey towards your destination", changing trains/buses "as many times as required", for 120 minutes (stopping in the middle and then getting back on is explicitly permitted, provided it's within this time window). The ticket records your origin, but not your destination. Tickets are checked "randomly" by plainclothes inspectors.
How can I tell which routes I am permitted to take?
Here is a U-Bahn/S-Bahn map for reference. I am not permitted to reproduce the map here.
Suppose that I am at Wedding (top-centre of the middle zone) and I want to go to Tempelhof (bottom-centre of the middle zone). I can take the U6 line (purple) which cuts through the middle of the map. No changes are required.
Alternatively, I can take the Ringbahn (brown lines) in either direction. Both directions look about the same length. No changes are required. Are these routes also allowed?
Suppose that I am at Wedding again, and I want to go to Innsbrucker Platz (3 stops left of Tempelhof). The smallest number of changes required is 0 (taking the ring). If I take the U6 to Tempelhof and then the Ringbahn to Innsbrucker Platz, I might get to Innsbrucker Platz sooner, but this route includes a change of trains, which is not required. Is this route allowed?
If "unnecessary" changes of trains are allowed, is there a limit? Can I get from Wedding to Innsbrucker Platz via Wedding -> Stadtmitte -> Potsdamer Platz -> Yorckstr -> Bayerischer Platz -> Innsbrucker Platz? (4 changes, when 0 would do)
Best Answer
In practical application the question is, at the time you ticket is checked are you travelling clearly towards the station where your ticket was originally stamped. If the answer is yes, then it looks like you are doing some kind of return trip which is not allowed. In all other situations you are ok. So doing a bunch of unnecessary changes is fine as long as you are travelling roughly in the same direction.
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What is single ticket Germany?
The Single Ticket is for a single trip in the direction of the destination. You are allowed to change and interrupt your trip. Return trips, however, are not permitted. The Single Ticket is ideal for spontaneous journeys with the MVV \u2013 and it is even cheaper when bought at a ticket machine by cashless payment.What are single tickets?
noun. British a ticket entitling a passenger to travel only to his destination, without returningUS and Canadian equivalent: one-way ticket Compare return ticket. Slang.Can I use Berlin ticket in Potsdam?
BERLIN ABC ticket is valid for all public transportation in Berlin and Potsdam: buses, trams, S-Bahn, U-Bahn, ferry, as well as regional (RB) and regional-express (RE) trains.How long are Berlin tickets valid for?
After purchase and validation they are valid for 120 minutes. Within this time you can change as often as you like or interrupt your journey. You may not, however, change your direction of travel, or go in a circle. A \u201cTageskarte\u201d (day ticket) costs \u20ac 7.00 (AB) or \u20ac 7.70 (ABC).How to use Public Transport in BERLIN, GERMANY
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Answer 2
The validity of the single tickets is, as described in VBB's terms and conditions:
Diese Einzelfahrausweise berechtigen zu einer Fahrt mit beliebigem Umsteigen in Richtung auf das Fahrtziel über den reiseüblichen oder durch die Fahrplanlage bedingten Weg.
My translation:
The single fare tickets allow a trip with any number of changes in direction of the destination via the usual route or via a route required by the current traffic/schedule situation.
So, following the wording in the T&Cs you are required to take the 'usual route', which in practice will mean the shortest, fastest or most convenient route. Any route suggested by BVG's trip planner will be ok and any detour beyond those suggestions will at least be open to interpretation. I don't have the impression that the ticket inspectors are particularly picky, but you shouldn't try to exploit the room for interpretation too much.
The other option 'or via a route required by the current traffic/schedule situation' applies in case of schedule interruption or delays, in which you are allowed to take a detour if it helps you reach your destination faster.
To your specific question, I would say:
Taking U6 from Wedding to Tempelhof takes 18 minutes, while the Ringbahn takes 30 minutes and is therefore a significantly longer trip, both in travel time and distance. The T&Cs explicitely excludes 'round trips', which are defined as '... trips, which along a different route lead to a destination, which could have been reached on the outward trip'. My interpretation is that you in this situation are required to take the U6.
In this case, the BVG trip planner will suggest both routes and there should be no problem to use either of them.
This is indeed a case of interpretation, but I would guess that the route with a number of unnecessary changes is ok. It is tedious, but you are not making a significant detour and are always moving toward your destination.
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