Germany is bracing for its second large-scale public-transport walkout this month after the Ver.di union called a 48-hour strike starting at 03:00 CET on Friday, 27 February. The industrial action will halt virtually all municipal buses, trams and urban rail services in more than 80 cities—including Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, Cologne, Dortmund and Nuremberg—through the end of service on Saturday night. Long-distance Deutsche Bahn and ICE/IC trains are not formally part of the strike but are expected to suffer knock-on overcrowding and some cancellations.
The stoppage comes amid stalled wage talks covering roughly 100,000 drivers, dispatchers and maintenance staff at 150 local transport companies. Union negotiators want shorter split shifts, guaranteed recovery breaks and average pay rises of eight percent. Employers say they can offer 5.5 % at most without triggering fare hikes. The standoff follows a 24-hour “warning strike” on 2 February that disrupted an estimated nine million passenger journeys.
![48-Hour Public Transport Strike to Paralyse German Cities on 27–28 February]()
Business-travel managers should anticipate significant delays for intra-city transfers and factor in alternative ground transport such as taxis, car-sharing or bicycle rentals. Event planners are already scrambling: Borussia Dortmund urged 81,000 football fans attending Saturday’s Bundesliga clash with Bayern Munich to arrive on foot or bike, warning that local bus and light-rail lines will be suspended for the full match day. Munich Security Conference organisers, who host follow-up round-tables that weekend, have shifted shuttles from coaches to minibuses to navigate possible street blockades.
If the strike leaves you needing to adjust your stay or secure updated travel documentation, VisaHQ can help expedite German visa extensions and other paperwork online—visit https://www.visahq.com/germany/ for swift assistance and expert support.
If no breakthrough occurs, Ver.di has threatened an indefinite series of rolling strikes in March, raising the prospect of persistent mobility headaches as Germany’s trade-fair season kicks into gear. Employers with posted workers should remind staff that taxi receipts and ride-share invoices remain reimbursable under German tax rules, provided they document the transport disruption.
The stoppage comes amid stalled wage talks covering roughly 100,000 drivers, dispatchers and maintenance staff at 150 local transport companies. Union negotiators want shorter split shifts, guaranteed recovery breaks and average pay rises of eight percent. Employers say they can offer 5.5 % at most without triggering fare hikes. The standoff follows a 24-hour “warning strike” on 2 February that disrupted an estimated nine million passenger journeys.
Business-travel managers should anticipate significant delays for intra-city transfers and factor in alternative ground transport such as taxis, car-sharing or bicycle rentals. Event planners are already scrambling: Borussia Dortmund urged 81,000 football fans attending Saturday’s Bundesliga clash with Bayern Munich to arrive on foot or bike, warning that local bus and light-rail lines will be suspended for the full match day. Munich Security Conference organisers, who host follow-up round-tables that weekend, have shifted shuttles from coaches to minibuses to navigate possible street blockades.
If the strike leaves you needing to adjust your stay or secure updated travel documentation, VisaHQ can help expedite German visa extensions and other paperwork online—visit https://www.visahq.com/germany/ for swift assistance and expert support.
If no breakthrough occurs, Ver.di has threatened an indefinite series of rolling strikes in March, raising the prospect of persistent mobility headaches as Germany’s trade-fair season kicks into gear. Employers with posted workers should remind staff that taxi receipts and ride-share invoices remain reimbursable under German tax rules, provided they document the transport disruption.
