Tickets are only digital : I want to sell remote tickets from the vending machine

The Deutsche Bahn AG wants to give up to 2023, the sale of tickets for long-distance traffic on their own machines completely, in order to save costs. The digital ticket is to be expanded sales massively. The project is part of the 220-page "Agenda for a better railway," railway boss, Richard Lutz. Internal documents, and has advised the Supervisory Board of the largest state group recently, our editorial staff.

The plans will relate to the many rail customers. The DB AG has sold 140 million long-distance traffic tickets per year. More than 70 percent of the tickets for ICE and Intercity trains are the strategy papers, already digital Tickets, booked via a Smartphone or Computer. Only the DB Navigator has per month, up to nine million users and is one of the most successful travel Apps in Europe.

For the group is the digital direct sales via the App and the Central web portal bahn.de more profitable than sales through vending machines in many of the 5500 stations and it is not uncommon to be defective. In the long-distance transport of the DB AG operates without direct subsidies, should be reduced to the relatively high cost of the devices, therefore, in the future.

Under the heading "further development of sales activities," - stated in the internal documents of the long-distance transport is clear: "the realization of the withdrawal from the vending machines until 2023." At the same time, but some of the approximately 400 travel centers in major railway stations to Service and product centers are strengthened.

A railway spokesman said on request, there is so far "no decision", after 2023, no vending machines offer more. However, the share of this distribution channel will shrink until then, probably only two percent. The aim of the DB AG remain unchanged, to make the customer as possible, all the train tickets in all sales channels accessible, even in the case of a third party, to the extent that consensus can be achieved.

A quarter of the Tickets from the vending machine

has been prepared in accordance with previous figures of around 7000, ticket vending machines nationwide, their share of the sales revenue for years drops: Between 2015 and 2017, he shrank from 27.5 to 24.5 percent. At the same time, the share of Online tickets increased from 32.6 to 39.4 percent. The Rest is sold via travel centers and agencies.

In these Numbers are long - Distance and regional traffic (up to 50 km). In regional traffic DB AG counts more than three billion customers per year, the share of digital Tickets is reported to be only around ten percent. Here, the group wants to develop a user-friendly digital services can also reduce costs. In regional traffic, and the more than two dozen traffic dominate but associations nationwide other providers that own vending machines and distribution systems.

In the state of Hesse the local Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund (RMV) is sold as a first composite and DB long-distance transport tickets. In North Rhine-Westphalia, in turn, the DB-competitor Transdev, has won the public tender for the country-wide regional ticket-sales and, now complete, the DB travel centers in stations. Some of the DB centres in Mönchengladbach, however, could threaten the closure. The led in the affected cities to protests.

The DB and Transdev are currently negotiating, among other things, whether Transdev in NRW will soon be sold also ICE Tickets. This is a to sales commissions. If no agreement is reached, would the rail to customers in the largest state, that you get in the travel centers no DB-Tickets, and the consolidated courts would have to organize the steady sale of his ICE-ticket in the local train.

criticism of the tram stops

The passenger Association Pro Bahn warns of the fragmentation of the ticket sales. "Train tickets have to buy anywhere from a Hand", asks the honorary Chairman Karl-Peter Naumann. If the vending machines are not more rewarding, to simplify the railway ticket sales on the phone and in the train. Even people without a Computer or Smartphone, should still be able to easily and at no extra charge to buy Tickets.

Bahn Supervisory Board Hommel track is "one disaster event"

railway chief Lutz must 15 according to the "doublet". January, to introduce in the Federal Ministry of transport, the key points for the improvement of the situation, and submit them to the Supervisory Board. Because the web is more sharp in the criticism. In the case of the Left in the Bundestag, calls for re-nationalization, according to. "No one can tell us that the train would run as a state authority, worse than now," wrote the Parliamentary Secretary, Jan Korte, in a proposal to his group. The Green transport policy Matthias Gastel accused the CSU, to have the crisis much fault. The CSU since 2009 the Minister of transport.