The AStA at HTW Berlin criticizes the VBB’s restrictive control practices regarding the Deutschlandsemesterticket
The General Student Committee (AStA) of HTW Berlin is irritated by press reports that student passengers of the Berlin-Brandenburg Transport Association (VBB) are being fined despite having valid tickets if they cannot show them online on their smartphones at the time of inspection. One affected student reports that neither a screenshot taken in advance nor immediate submission of the ticket after logging into the BVG Wi-Fi were accepted, with the result that he now has to pay a €7 processing fee to the VBB through no fault of his own.
From the AStA’s point of view, this practice is not only unreasonable, but also systematically discriminatory. It is incomprehensible that a ticket app, which is intended for use in subways, among other places, does not work completely offline. According to the VBB conditions of carriage, passengers with a valid ticket must be able to present it at any time, regardless of network coverage or technical infrastructure. In reality, however, Wi-Fi is only available at selected stations, meaning that passengers in other locations have no way of downloading their ticket at short notice if they temporarily do not have their own internet access.
This practice also reveals an aspect of social inequality. While many students have a smartphone with a mobile data plan, this should by no means be considered the norm. For those who cannot afford or do not want to afford these technologies, exclusive digital control represents an unnecessary and unjustified hurdle. As the AStA, we are aware of cases in which students have to choose between essential needs such as food or study materials and the use of public transport.
The VBB interprets rules in the most restrictive way possible, deliberately exploits loopholes in its conditions of carriage, and treats passengers who have a valid ticket as if they were fare dodgers. Anyone who protests against this treatment is often faced with debt collection proceedings. This is not how public transport in a city like Berlin should be organized.
The AStA of HTW Berlin therefore calls on the VBB to immediately end this practice and establish alternative means of verification. We propose, for example, accepting an Aztec code as digital proof, regardless of whether it is stored on a smartphone or in printed form. Furthermore, we appeal to the VBB that students should not be forced to own a digital device in order to use the semester ticket. The student ID card should be recognized as a ticket, thus offering a cost-effective alternative that is accessible to all. Digitalization must not be used as a tool to deliberately disadvantage students who are dependent on public transport.