VCS and consumer protection demand predictable and fair tariffs
Published: Tuesday, Nov 21st 2023, 13:01
Updated At: Tuesday, Nov 21st 2023, 13:03
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Consumer protection and the VCS are calling for predictable public transport fares. The "myRide" fare system proposed by the Alliance Swisspass threatens to turn the ticket price into a "black box". As the fare system requires a smartphone, it also increases access barriers.
Consumer protection and the Swiss Transport Club (VCS) fundamentally welcome a sensible further development of the fare system and ticket sales, the two associations told the media in Bern on Tuesday.
"Individual tariff worlds and dynamic prices that are calculated on the basis of past behaviour, however, contradict the principle laid down by the legislator, according to which comparable conditions apply to travellers in comparable situations," the two organizations state in a press release.
In the "myRide" pilot project launched by Alliance Swisspass in the spring and criticized by the two organizations, customers' past travel consumption determines the current price level, the e-fare. Ticket purchases should be completely eliminated when using the e-fare.
According to Alliance Swisspass, "myRide" is simplifying the fare landscape. An initial prototype of the e-fare, in which travel is billed digitally, is to be "extensively tested" with customers from March 2024, the fare organization announced on Tuesday. The first elements of the e-fare will be offered on the market at the earliest two years after a successful test phase.
Prices not known in advance
People who use public transport regularly pay less for the same journey than those who use it less frequently. Journeys are only calculated on arrival at the destination. For consumer protection and the VCS, public transport prices are therefore unpredictable and lack transparency. However, when purchasing goods or services, the principle of price disclosure applies.
In the opinion of both associations, people without a Swisspass or smartphone (e.g. children, older people, people with disabilities, Sanspapiers, people living in poverty or tourists) should also be able to use public transport in the future. Mobility is central to participation in social life and public transport plays an important role in this.
With regard to the goal of avoiding unnecessary traffic, the VCS is skeptical about the fare system's approach. Frequent travel is rewarded with lower ticket prices and this stimulates mobility in an undesirable way.
VCS and Consumer Protection also criticize the restriction of freedom of choice. If tickets are not purchased in advance, a means of payment must be deposited. "Whether someone uses cash or digital means of payment should not be controlled by the public transport industry by restricting the services on offer," stated Consumer Protection. It must also continue to be possible to travel anonymously on public transport without major effort.
Recording of passenger data
The industry generates countless sensitive data - movement profiles, but also address and payment data, write VCS and Consumer Protection. In order to minimize the risk in terms of data protection, apps must be designed to be data-efficient and be geared towards protecting users' privacy.
Positive aspects of new possibilities and habits should not be reversed with excessive data collection or unpredictable tariffs. It is also completely wrong for customer data to be used for advertising purposes or even sold.
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