Overview
- BVG plans to buy about 3,600 compact validators for buses, trams and U‑bahn platforms that let riders pay with bank cards, smartphones or BVG prepaid (Guthaben) cards.
- Tickets bought at validators will be stored in the cloud and checked by inspectors when a passenger presents the same payment card or device used to buy the fare.
- Bargeld and paper options are being preserved: anonymous BVG Guthaben cards will remain on sale at roughly 900 retail outlets and paper tickets will still be available from sales agents.
- A Europe‑wide procurement is planned next year and BVG expects a phased installation from 2029, with details such as the on‑device ticket menu, cross‑operator acceptance and tariff rules to be agreed with VBB and partners.
- BVG says the move responds to very old, hard‑to‑maintain machines and to legal accessibility requirements, and it follows contactless validator models already used in cities like London and parts of the Netherlands and France.