Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe Reviews 

Would give 0 starts if I could. Constant disruptions, irregular service, cancellations of changes while constantly increasing the already very high prices

On the 28th of August we went to the BVG Kundenzentrum in Alexanderplatz for information about tickets and the man who was sitting in the fourth table from the left was the most rude excuse of a human being we ever met in this city.
He told us that in Germany people must speak German and that he was not going to help us. We don’t even live in Berlin and we were just visiting the country, and he pointed to the person behind us completely ignored my friend and me.
He was talking loudly in a very demeaning way and everyone could hear him.
That excuse for a human being forgot that we the customers are the ones who pay his salary and in a touristic city like Berlin people must speak English when working in a company that has thousands and thousands of people from other countries using AND PAYING for its services every single day.
Why put a right wing extremist to deal with people from all over the world?

⭐ 1/5

Unfortunately, one of the most frustrating customer-service experiences I have had with public transport in Berlin.

I had a Deutschlandticket through BVG and had paid for it. The payment for May was taken from my account on 4 May, and the QR code/ticket was still visible in my BVG app. I therefore genuinely believed I had a valid ticket.

I had cancelled the subscription because I was moving back to my home country. At the time, I was dealing with an extremely stressful move and was not doing well physically or mentally. I was already spending very little time in Berlin and had only returned temporarily to deal with the move and other things. I did not realise that the cancellation had already taken effect from 30 April. I had received an email about the cancellation, but when you are in the middle of moving abroad and the ticket is still displayed in the app after a payment has been taken from your account, it is very easy to reasonably believe that everything is still fine.

On 15 May, I was checked and received a €60 fine. I immediately disputed it because I genuinely believed I had already paid for the ticket. I had not been intentionally travelling without a ticket.

And then the really frustrating part began.

I submitted my complaint in May. I did not receive a response explaining the situation until July. The response then instructed me to pay €60 by 21 July. I paid the €60 on 11 July, well before the deadline.

Afterwards, a few days ago, I received another demand for €44.90 in collection costs, on the basis that the case had already supposedly been transferred to collections before my payment. From my perspective, this was extremely difficult to understand: I had disputed the charge in May, received no response for a long period, and then paid promptly once I finally received an explanation. Yet I was still being asked for additional money because I had supposedly delayed payment.

Eventually, after further correspondence, Riverty sent me an “Erledigungsbestätigung” confirming that the case was fully paid and closed.

What I find particularly frustrating is the lack of transparency throughout the entire process. The May payment was taken from my account and later refunded. The ticket remained visible in the app. I was checked and fined without having realised that the cancellation had already taken effect. I disputed the fine immediately, waited until July for a response, paid within the newly stated deadline, and then had to deal with another demand for collection costs.

I understand that rules exist. I also understand that a cancelled ticket is technically no longer valid. But a system should not make it so difficult for a customer to understand what is actually happening with their ticket.

And there is another issue with this enforcement model: I find it difficult to understand why so much effort is put into catching individual passengers with €60 fines when fare evasion is obviously much broader than the occasional person who happens to be checked. People who deliberately avoid paying can simply take their chances, while passengers who genuinely believe they have paid and have a ticket can end up with substantial penalties because of an administrative issue.

There are other transport systems that use much more direct forms of access control and payment. For example, Singapore uses contactless/card-based payment and controlled entry systems in many parts of its public transport network, making it much easier to establish whether someone has paid rather than relying so heavily on random inspections and subsequent fines.

For me, the €60 itself is not even the main issue anymore. It is the entire process: unclear communication, a ticket that appeared in the app, a payment that was taken and later refunded, a complaint that remained unanswered for weeks, and then additional collection costs despite paying before the deadline given to me.

Public transport should make it easy for people to understand whether they are entitled to travel, not turn an administrative misunderstanding during an already extremely difficult period into a months-long financial and bureaucratic headache.

I will be using public transport in Berlin again, but after this experience I will think twice before choosing BVG.

Dirty, lateness, cancellations, unfriendly staff... I could go on and on. The app isn't even that well made.
Their marketing/communication is great but the service itself, not so much.

The network is ok.
They sell a welcome card for 6 days. Free use of network and 170 partners that allow lower ticket prices. But NOT fit the museuminsel (island). Then you need another card.
We feel cheated.

Worst bus drivers I have ever experienced. Always angry, impolite and drivong like mad.

1. BVG always shows inaccurate transportation appearance. Neither for buses nor for S-Bahns it’s correct! They arrive 1 or more minutes earlier! Often transport arrives much earlier or later which makes it difficult to plan!
2. Some bus drivers are very aggressive and some Germans drivers show their aversion to foreigners! I have been discriminated few times and I couldn’t leave a complaint on BVG app or website! It’s simply impossible!
3. I had another terrible experience when validating machines were out of service and I had to catch the train with fresh not validated ticket. The controller charged me with 60€ for having no ticket although both machines at the station were broken!

Aggressive controllers (on commissions??) They use a timer to validate a ticket on an app that doesn't work properly; then they use this to fine you for not having a ticket whilst taking the money for the ticket you bought. The worst part is that they are untouchable and there's nothing you can do about this. I

This is really a shame...

This is the puplic-transport-sytem of the German Capitol Berlin? Dirty, smelly, pay for using the bathrooms (🤣), smell of urin everywhere(!), bagging, unprofessionell security, smoking at plattform, not enough light for feeling save.

Rising prices again and declining service quality...
Now also the weekly ticket is gone in 2026. Great, when I have guests they will have to pay ungodly amounts for this terrible service. I'd be happy to pay more if they actually improved anything. But every time I need the bus or train it's not working, delayed, Störung, Bauarbeiten, noone cares, what a broken company. For a city like Berlin spread out over a large area, good public transport is essential. Instead we have total incompetence. They think having a cute logo changes anything - do your job and keep the service running on schedule ffs.

I have a Deutschland Karte that I pay now EUR 58 per month. I made the mistake of riding the U-Bahn with my husband and we did not pay for his fare thinking that my Deutschland Karte covers his ride as well. We were checked by the ticket inspector (more like a harasser) , who wrote me a fine. I showed my identity card instead of my husband‘s. She told me that if I had taken a copy of my Deutschland Karte and sent it to the BVG online I would not have to pay the 60EUR fine. I did that immediately coming home but I could not find my fine number on the BVG but I sent in the photo of my Deutschland Karte anyway. I did NOT hear anything from them until last Friday I received a fine with added interest of 50% so that I need to pay EUR 91.10 through the Vampire Company loan shark called riverty service GmbH! SHAME ON YOU BVG! YOU ARE A DISGRACE TO US GERMANS!!!

IT'S GETTING SO BAD NOW, IT'S UNBELIEVABLE!! I have a monthly Abo AND NOW YOU ARE RAISING THE PRICES - SHAME ON YOU, YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY THE WORST TRANSPORT SYSTEM I HAVE EVER ENCOUNTERED. STEALING MONEY, THAT'S WHAT YOU ARE DOING.

I waited 40min in the cold with my 3 year old at the bus stop for a bus that never came. The digital board showed that the bus would arrive in 5..4..3..2 minutes and then again in 5..4..3..2 minutes over and over. We ended up going home again.

I wrote a complaint to the customer service to at least get my money for the ticket back. Got the answer that there are GPS systems in the busses and that bus was only 6 min late - so I was wrong...?

BVG has a lot of money for plastering the whole city full with commercials for themselves, made by expensive agencies. But when they don't full fill their responsibility they can't even refund your ticket.

Absolut shit of an organization, trams just don’t come, nobody cares, it’s the most unreliable peace of shit I have encountered in a while.

Terrible service. I live outside of the ring and they can't manage to get together....
Incredible how can that happen in Berlin Germany..

Again late to a meeting. I wonder why they even make those announcements that there are disruptions. That is normal. It should be announced when things are going well. Cause that is the exception.

U4 now just pointless. Not serviced. Always delayed, now by more than 30 min. Hope this company can be bought and fixed by new managemenz

Worst service ever, the app sucks

My partner and I were visiting Berlin to attend my friends wedding and forgot to stamp ticket as our friend forgot to tell us by mistake. We were surrounded by 4 men and physically and verbally threatened for cash, even though we had ID (Driving License). Had to wait for police who told them our ID was fine and to issue a ticket. My partner was left distraught by 4 individuals who are best described as criminals. I have written to BVG and they have not even responded so I am having to write to the German government. My friend advised me they demand cash as they keep it for themselves, the threats they made to try and force us to give them cash from a cash machine were terrible. I am please I stood up to them and forced them to call the police. BVG the company in question should be ashamed for allowing this to happen and ignoring customers letters of complaint.

Honestly, especially today, JESUS CHRIST BVG!

You had a strike of u-bahn, trams and buses. So you had ONE JOB, to keep the s-bahns working! Instead, half the s-bahns don’t work and I have to take a bus as a replacement service, which doesn’t even arrive on time! And all that happened between 10:30-00:20! It usually takes me HALF AN HOUR with the S9 from Alexanderplatz to Schöneweide. Tonight it took me 2 HOURS!

Good job BVG, GOOD JOB! 👏🏻

I’m so glad that I’m moving out of Berlin in a few days! Because I’m tired spending my money on shit like this, that don’t work!