Run on the Deutschlandticket Bonn's transport company sets up additional ticket counters
Bonn · Public utility SWB has reallocated staff to better cope with the high demand for the 49-euro ticket. Customers can order the ticket faster via smartphone apps than by applying for it in writing.
The Bonn public transport company Bus und Bahn (SWB) has responded to the demand for the new Deutschlandticket at its service centres by reallocating staff. Employees who normally work in the background and not at the ticket counter were on duty on Tuesday to keep waiting times to a minimum. "We are reacting similarly today, Wednesday, and will do so in the next few days as well, depending on the situation," said SWB spokesperson Silke Elbern.
On Wednesday, the transport company had set up two additional counters in the Cassius-Bastei near the main station in front of the service centre, where people could fill in the forms necessary for the 49-euro monthly ticket. Furthermore, people changing from an existing subscription could hand in their old chip cards there. This arrangement made the queues much shorter.
SWB had already written to season ticket holders in advance to inform them about the new ticket and how they could get it. "Furthermore, we already activated the order option for the Deutschlandticket on www.swb-busundbahn.de in March, so even before advance sales started," Elbern informed us on request.
Online purchase is faster
The majority of those who now want to buy the 49-euro ticket at the last minute are presumably new customers. It takes a while for applications received in writing to be processed. For this reason, SWB had pointed out that the Deutschlandticket as a chip card can only be issued punctually at the beginning of the month if the booking is received by the 20th of the previous month. The Deutschlandticket is not valid for four weeks from the time of purchase, but for one calendar month at a time. Purchasing the ticket online is much faster than submitting a written application and applying for a chip card.
Purchasing the ticket online is much faster than by submitting a written application and applying for an analogue chip card. At the Stadtwerke, it is possible to order via the smartphone app Bonnmobil. According to Elbern, the ticket is then made available as a barcode as quickly as possible. As a rule, this process takes two working days. Since the monthly ticket is valid nationwide, customers can also use other sales channels, which are sometimes more, sometimes less customer-friendly.
For example, Deutsche Bahn offers the Deutschlandticket via the "DB Navigator" app. This can be a bit complicated, however, as it’s not under the tabs "Verbundtickets" or "Regional Offers". Instead, you first have to search for a specific local transport connection via the "Travel information" tab and then click on the "Deutschland-Ticket" field. There, personal details such as name, address and date of birth must be filled in. The ticket is then valid after a few minutes, a spokesperson for the railway in Düsseldorf promised.
It is not possible to buy tickets at ticket machines
Buying last year’s nine-euro ticket was much simpler. You could get it with just a few clicks on the transport company’s site, of you could just get it from a ticket machine. But the federal and state governments, who are subsidising the 49-euro ticket, decided that the main sales channel should be online. The SWB explains the fact that the Deutschlandticket can only be used via the Bonnmobil app two working days after purchase with the lead time. "However, we are working on linking all systems together and automating the process," said Elbern.
(Original text: Philipp Königs; Translation: Jean Lennox)
