If you arrive at your destination an hour late by train, you can ask for your money back. The stricter the rules, the more punctual the train, my consumer advocate. But whether there will be compensation in the future in the event of storms is controversial.
Berlin (dpa) - In the opinion of consumer advocates, Deutsche Bahn should pay back much more money in the event of train delays.
"So far, I only get compensation after an hour. We appeal and urgently encourage politicians to reduce this to half an hour," said the head of the Federal Consumer Association, Klaus Müller, of the German press agency. That could also provide an incentive for the train to be more punctual.
Up to now, a quarter of the fare is refunded if you are delayed for an hour, and half if you are delayed for two hours. Last year, the railway had to reimburse around 52.6 million euros.
The passenger association Pro Bahn supported Müller's initiative. Such a change could put the railway under pressure, said Federal Chairman Detlef Neuss in the radio program SWR Aktuell. "Even if the sums that have to be paid back are not that high, it's always an administrative effort that costs the railway more money than it has to reimburse."
However, Neuss went even further: the train should compensate travelers for delays for the entire travel chain - including if a flight is missed due to a train delay. "If I go to Munich on vacation and arrive an hour later, that's not too tragic. But if I want to go to the airport with a super-saver price and then miss my plane, a compensation of 5 or 10 euros is of little use to me." he emphasized.
Deutsche Bahn emphasized that its trains were on the way more punctually in the first half of 2020 than they have been for years. In addition, in view of the corona pandemic, there have recently been very accommodating rules that go far beyond passenger rights. "This is how we made it possible to cancel and use around five million trips flexibly."
Consumer advocate Müller also called for compensation to be easier to apply for. "A year ago, Mr. Scheuer spoke out in favor of an automated compensation system. Nothing has visibly happened since then," he criticized. Last year, Deutsche Bahn announced that passengers should be able to apply for their compensation online by 2021 at the latest. The company has now announced that this schedule will be adhered to.
So far, a paper form has been required for the application. Most train journeys are now booked online, said Müller. "That's great because I have my details on file and I could get compensation or a refund immediately."
According to a proposal at EU level, however, compensation could be paid far less frequently in the future. At the end of 2019, the EU transport ministers agreed that railway companies should no longer be obliged to pay in cases of force majeure - for example in extreme weather conditions. The European Parliament, which has already expressed its negative opinion, would still have to agree to this.
Müller also criticized the project: "We want to make rail travel more attractive. This includes that the railways must do everything to be as reliable, safe and clean as possible," he said. "The danger is that" force majeure "will become a general clause and, ultimately, the railway will refer to force majeure at every suitable and inappropriate opportunity."
The consequence is expensive legal disputes and the railway becomes less attractive. "That is why I think that it is a totally short-sighted consideration to believe that you are doing something good for the railway," said Müller. Especially under the German Council Presidency, Consumer Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) and Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer (CSU) would have to make decisions in the interests of rail customers and put the proposals aside.
Pro Bahn also rejected the proposal: "We are of the opinion that the railway should pay in the event of force majeure," Neuss told SWR. However, the cause of delays must be taken into account: If a tree fell from a private property in a storm onto the tracks, the property owner must also be made liable.
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