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BVG warns: Funny tips for the summer in Berlin's subway!
The BVG provides information about new seat covers and humor in Berlin's local transport - a diverse design for the summer months of 2025.
BVG warns: Funny tips for the summer in Berlin's subway!
The Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) is sending a special note to its passengers these days: When using public transport, especially in the hot season, passengers should keep an eye on the new seat covers. Because while a higher number of passengers is expected near outdoor pools and lakes in summer, the BVG is anything but idle. On Instagram, the company humorously addresses the problem of “sticking” to the seats through short shorts and warns that French fries fingers should be wiped off on the new colorful seat covers to avoid unsightly stains. The post, which appeared a few weeks ago, quickly became very popular and received around 1,500 likes within a very short time. [Berlin Live].
But what is behind these new seat covers? The BVG has learned from a legal dispute over the rights to use the old “worm pattern” and is now presenting a new design. Christine Wolburg, Head of Sales and Marketing, explains that the new pattern is intended to reflect the diversity of the city and shows a veritable mass of colorful, cheerful figures - from rust red and light blue to egg yolk yellow and beige. The unusual design is also complemented by a dog, which spices the whole thing up even more. Tagesspiegel has summarized the most important points about this new “Urban Jungle” design.
Background to the seat covers
The theory behind the color and pattern selection is particularly exciting: The BVG team follows a clever approach to vandalism prevention that is based on the principles of the reverse broken windows theory. This means that eye-catching patterns and colors help reduce the amount of drawing on the seats with felt-tip pens or spray cans. Darker faux leather seats would often have had exactly the opposite effect. For this reason, the new, colorful designs are not only an aesthetic upgrade, but also contribute to the cleanliness of the vehicles. This strategy has proven successful over the years, which also explains the high popularity of the old seat covers, which have now become cult objects - including merchandising items such as cell phone cases and sneakers that are printed with the popular pattern Süddeutsche.
However, a comprehensive replacement of the seat cushions will take some time. The planned replacement will take place gradually, as the subways have to undergo a general inspection every eight years. The new electric buses that will be delivered in the coming years will also be equipped with the new design, while the old buses will continue to carry the familiar patterns for the time being. In order to stay up to date, passengers should regularly take a look at the new covers and enjoy the colorful world of colors in Berlin's means of transport.