Nationwide transport strikes are bringing cities to a standstill.
Public transport across Germany has been heavily disrupted since early morning after nationwide warning strikes forced buses, trams, and subway trains to stop operating in most federal states.
“The strike has begun,” confirmed the chief negotiator of the trade union Verdi, سيرت كانيورت. He said the industrial action was launched as planned and would affect nearly all local transport networks.
According to the union, buses, trams, and subway trains will remain in depots for 48 hours. Services are expected to resume only at the start of operations on Sunday morning, meaning passengers face two full days of limited or no public transport.
In most regions, only a small number of vehicles will operate, if any at all. The strikes that started in the early hours of Friday may continue until early Sunday, depending on local transport authorities and regional agreements.
One exception is Lower Saxony, where a legal obligation not to strike remains in force until the end of March, making industrial action in local public transport currently illegal there. In Baden-Württemberg, it is still unclear whether new warning strikes will be announced in the coming days.