Consumer protection criticizes public transport ticket system: “Ticket prices are in danger of becoming a black box”

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From December, public transport tickets will become more expensive, by an average of 4.3 percent. But that is not enough. “The ticket price is in danger of becoming a black box,” warns consumer lawyer Sara Stalder (57). The Alliance Swisspass is testing a new fare system called “MyRide”.

This is intended to turn ticket sales upside down. While public transport users today still have to buy a ticket or have a subscription for every trip, this will no longer be necessary in the future. Instead, an app should register the public transport journey. Payment will only be made afterwards. Invoicing can take place after a week, a month or even after a year.

As early as 2027?

The test phase currently runs until the end of 2024. If the industry is convinced, it could be rolled out across the board in 2027 at the earliest. The aim of the project is to further digitize the public transport world. Consumer Protection and the Swiss Transport Club (VCS) believe this is a welcome concern. But the associations remain skeptical.

With “MyRide”, an algorithm on the smartphone would calculate the ticket price. Those who use public transport more often should pay less. And at peak times a trip would be more expensive due to high demand. From the point of view of the associations, this is untenable. It is contrary to the principle that comparable conditions apply to travelers in comparable situations.

A trip into the blue – even when it comes to the price?

“Who determines and controls the algorithm that spits out the prices?” asks Stalder. As a result, fares would be extremely unpredictable for passengers. In terms of price, a trip to the Engadine would be a journey into the void. Before you get on the train, you don’t know how much the journey will cost.

Furthermore, moving away from paper tickets could put certain people at a disadvantage. According to the two associations, even people without a Swisspass or smartphone – such as children, the elderly or tourists – should be able to use public transport as before.

Price requests must be possible

But nothing will change, Nick Balmer, the project manager of “MyRide”, assured the “NZZ” in April. They don’t want to lose customers without smartphones and there must remain tickets that can be purchased individually. In the future it should also be possible to inquire about prices before the start of the trip.

But consumer advocate Stalder is suspicious. “It’s unclear what should be there.” It is important to her that digital and analogue sales are equal. “Instead, the ticket machines are already being dismantled today.” The associations also criticize the fact that customers have to provide their location and deposit means of payment. This is legitimate when it comes to customer safety. But not if this data is used for advertising purposes – or even sold.

Source:Blick