Transport associations call on the new black-red federal government to take a more decisive stance against fraud involving the Germany ticket. The Justiciar of the Munich Transport and Tariff Union (MVV), Martin Schenck, told the “Spiegel” that they should “motivate the prosecution authorities to take the issue seriously.” “At the beginning of the fraud wave, no follow-up was given to the indications from companies and associations that have filed complaints.”
A common fraud technique involves purchasing tickets with false, foreign, or stolen account details. According to Schenck, the MVV has been requesting since several months that new customers undergo an additional identity check when using SEPA withdrawals. Furthermore, controllers reportedly also regularly come across “ticket copies” and ticket forgeries. In Munich, there is now an increased verification of IDs during checks. The MVV wants the federal government to provide “support in implementing technical measures for secure issuance and control of the tickets” across the board.
The Association of German Transport Companies also recently urged, together with representatives of public passenger transport, for “uniform standards for the digital issuance and control” of Germany tickets. Only then can the revenues of the industry be secured and paying customers be protected.