The great. The legendary.
On my way to Berlin, one of the things that I was looking forward to most was the public transportation system. Maybe it doesn't seem like the most thrilling thing for a young person headed to a major city to be excited about, but it genuinely was a major component of what attracted me to Berlin.
The efficiency of German train schedules is a bit of a punchline in the U.S., but the system has rightfully earned this reputation. There are various modes of transportation via various types of vehicles throughout urban and more rural areas of the country. A ticket purchased for any of these can be used across the system. In Berlin there are buses and trams, as well as two rail lines the S-Bahn and the U-Bahn. “S-Bahn” is short for “Stadtschnellbahn” meaning “city rapid rail”. U-Bahn is short for “Untergrundbahn”, describing the underground rail system similar to the Tube in London, or the Subway in New York.
Soon after arriving in Berlin I got my ticket, a small flimsy rectangle of paper that would enable unlimited travel within the city for a month. Almost never has a bit of paper the size of a business card felt so precious to me. Something unusual to me about German public railways however, was the absence of turnstiles. Instead of requiring travelers to swipe their cards to enter the station, the trains operate on an honor system where passengers will not necessarily be required to prove the validity of their ticket unless approached by a plainclothes inspector while on the train. Because of this, some take advantage of the honor system by not buying tickets, but risking a fine of 60 euros if caught. Doing this is referred to as “Schwarzfahren”, “to ride black”, meaning “on the black market”.
The BVG runs most transportation in Berlin, except for the S-bahn which is owned by a separate company. The BVG, an acronym that has stood for several variations of the official name (currently Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe), has a motto: "Weil wir dich lieben": "Because we love you". What this means in action is that the BVG is there for you, no matter what. Running consistently during the day and all through the night on weekends, the BVG is there to make sure everyone can do what needs to be done. Because of the ubiquity of the transportation in the city, trains and buses tend to be busy at all hours with all kinds of people. Someone headed to work at 6am, whose day is just starting, might be sitting next to a student whose day is just ending after a night of clubbing.
Public transportation seems to be an integral part of the movement of Berlin life, and is also a great place to observe all different kinds of Berliners. It is a meeting place of everybody that will help take you anywhere. I am growing to love the BVG back.
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