Germany · Verbund rules
Can my dog travel on VBB buses and trains in Berlin and Brandenburg?
Checked · Official source ↗
Yes — if you meet every condition.
What this means for you: Berlin works, on one condition you won’t find in most of Germany: the muzzle is mandatory, not “if dangerous”. Pack it and you have the whole VBB area — the city, Potsdam, the lakes, the Baltic trains to the Brandenburg coast — for the price of your own ticket.
The rule, line by line
What VBB buses and trains actually say.
- Who gets on
- Any dog — on a lead AND muzzled, on every bus, tram, U-Bahn, S-Bahn and regional train in Berlin and Brandenburg. Small dogs in a closed carrier ride free and skip the muzzle.
- Who doesn’t
- A dog without a muzzle. Berlin is one of the few places in Germany where the muzzle isn’t “if dangerous” — it’s always.
- How much
- One dog rides free with a Deutschlandticket, a day ticket or any season ticket. On a single ticket, or for a second dog, buy a reduced-fare (child) ticket per dog. A dog in a carrier is free.
- Where they ride
- On the floor, on the lead. Never on a seat.
- Never, whatever the size
- Nothing by breed in the tariff; Berlin’s dog law handles that separately.
- Where this applies
- Berlin and Brandenburg — bus, tram, U-/S-Bahn and regional trains under the Verbund tariff. The cities inside the Verbund are below. Double-check who actually runs your service.
- Assistance dogs
- Guide dogs and assistance dogs — including ones still in training — ride free, and the lead-and-muzzle rule is lifted for them.
The cities inside the Verbund
Dogs on public transport in Berlin and Potsdam
One tariff, one rule for every operator in it. 2 of the 2 networks below take a big dog on a lead; where an operator adds its own term — a muzzle, a fee, a ban on the call-taxi — it’s in the row.
Where a big dog rides — on a lead, under the Verbund rule
There are two networks where the idea is the same: lead, off the seats, and you clean up. Muzzles and fares vary, so read the row.
Leashed and muzzled, with a reduced ticket unless you hold a day, 24-hour or season ticket (then one dog rides free). In a closed carrier it rides free, no muzzle.
Muzzle mandatory — the one thing visitors get caught on.
The VBB rule applies to all 40-odd Brandenburg operators: lead and muzzle, one dog free with a day or season ticket, reduced ticket otherwise.
Checked 14 September 2026. Local rules change more often than the area rule — recheck the week you travel.
Your next step
Before you book.
- Read every condition, not just the yes.Lead, muzzle, fare, where the dog sits — each one is a reason a driver can turn you away.
- Check who’s actually running your service.Subcontracted and rail-replacement services can run under a different rule.
- Screenshot the rule.The operator’s own page on your phone settles most arguments at the door.