Consumer advocates demand free reservations for train drivers

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Train drivers in Frankfurt am Main

In the opinion of consumer advocates, long-distance rail travelers should currently be able to reserve a seat free of charge. "In addition to the mask requirement, the distance is simply the best we can do at the moment," said Klaus Müller, chairman of the Federal Association of Consumer Organizations. Trains shouldn't be crowded.

"The railway must therefore use additional wagons on busy routes, equalize the occupancy with intelligent technology on the train and give preference to passengers with reservations," said Müller. Reservation fees should not apply during the Corona period.

Second-class passengers currently pay four euros for a reservation, and eight euros for a family. In the past few days there were again calls for a reservation requirement.

Deutsche Bahn has so far rejected this. "Our customers value the flexibility", CEO Richard Lutz has repeatedly emphasized. For the railways, flexible boarding is also an important sales argument in competition with airplanes.

"The problem is S-Bahn, U-Bahn and buses"

According to Lutz, the group tries to use the booking system to avoid booking more than half of the seats on a train. Cleaning, disinfection, ventilation and the requirement to wear a mask would also help to reduce the risk of infection.

Germans are divided on the question of the reservation requirement. According to a YouGov survey, 34 percent support the course of the railway, 40 percent are more or more in favor of a mandatory reservation.

The passenger association Pro Bahn announced, however, that there has so far been no evidence that a particularly high number of infections occur in long-distance traffic. "The problem with the S-Bahn, the U-Bahn and the buses is when people are crowded, sometimes out of breath because they ran." There it must be more consistently checked that everyone is wearing masks. According to industry information, the number of mask refusers is increasing.

ssu / dpa