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First more and more ticket counters were closed, now it’s the turn of the machines. The arguments are the same: too expensive, underused. It is still open whether young and old will come along.
In the future, bus and train tickets will only be available digitally, as Thomas Ammann from the public transport tariff industry association Alliance Swisspass confirms. For example, because the machines are used less and ticket sales via mobile phones and computers are increasing sharply.
For many, the change is hardly noticeable. But what about people who are not yet at home in the digital world? This is not a problem for pensioners, says Peter Burri from Pro Senectute: “With the time horizon that the industry sets, we see that consideration is given and that everyone is picked up.” Care is being taken to ensure that by 2035 everyone will be able to pay with their cell phone.
With the set time horizon, we see that consideration is given and that everyone is picked up.
Burri also confirms that most of the older semesters are already well versed in the digital world. Of the 1.8 million pensioners in Switzerland, only around 200,000, a little more than ten percent, are on the move without a mobile phone or smartphone.
In twelve years time, the proportion of online pensioners would also increase, since many of those no longer lived without a mobile phone or had learned how to use it, explains Burri. SBB and Pro Senectute offer smartphone courses for this purpose.
“Children must still be able to buy individual tickets”
While older generations may have less trouble, it could be difficult for children, according to Pro Juventute spokesman Jan Schlink. According to the latest study, eleven-year-olds already have a smartphone. But the younger ones are dependent on being able to buy a single ticket.
At the moment I can’t quite imagine an eight-year-old who can only buy a ticket online.
“At the moment I can’t quite imagine an eight-year-old who can only buy a ticket online,” says Schlink. We don’t yet know what it will look like in 2035, but one should definitely not forget the children when the change is made.
Solution for mobile phone users still unclear
Meanwhile, the public transport industry promises that people who have neither a credit card nor a smartphone can continue to use public transport. However, it is not yet clear what this would look like from 2035 onwards.