S-Bahn trouble: In the event of delays, money is returned
Created: 07/07/2022Updated: 07/07/2022 18:57
By: Dirk Walter
Passengers board an S-Bahn in the main station.
© Christian Charisius/dpa
Did you know?
Since the beginning of the year, the S-Bahn has had to compensate its passengers for delays and other annoyances.
Even traffic experts were not aware of this rule.
Munich – Tuesday evening, around 5 p.m.
With the S-Bahn westbound, nothing works anymore.
After a police operation near Laim, the main route between Pasing and Donnersbergerbrücke is completely closed, S-Bahn trains are already turning in Pasing.
Delays and train cancellations drag on for hours.
Thousands of commuters were annoyed again - but probably only very few know that they are entitled to compensation for their S-Bahn annoyance.
The first Munich S-Bahn contract, which includes so-called customer guarantees, has been in effect since the beginning of the year.
There are four euros for delays of 30 minutes or more, as well as for dirty clothing (e.g. if you sit on a dirty seat), train cancellations and missing connections.
Even Pro Bahn didn't know for a long time
Pro-Bahn spokesman Edmund Lauterbach says: Even Pro Bahn was not aware of the regulation until now, the passenger association only became aware of it through an e-mail from the nationwide DB customer dialogue.
It is good that the S-Bahn now has to compensate its passengers.
The railways as a company have already been asked to pay by the Free State in the form of so-called penalties, i.e. contractual penalties, for delays they are responsible for.
But the Free State received the money, not the passengers affected.
The regulation was also previously unknown to the traffic expert of the Greens parliamentary group, Markus Büchler.
"No, I didn't know that.
This would have to be communicated more widely so that passengers know their rights."
After all, the reimbursement is “a small, symbolic recognition of the trouble that has arisen”.
However, the compensation is linked to a number of conditions.
First of all, you have to have a personal or transferable MVV subscription for an IsarCard, it doesn't matter whether it was taken out via DB or MVG.
Second, the application can only be submitted online.
To do this, the ticket number and, in the case of dirt, for example, a photo of the dirty clothing must also be sent.
Third, the application must be submitted no later than ten days after the incident.
Fourth, the purchase price of the ticket is the limit for the monthly reimbursement amount.
The monthly reimbursement amount must not be higher than the purchase price.
As a rule, compensation is paid a maximum of ten times a month.
The 9-euro ticket is a special case, but the compensation rule also applies here.
Fifth:
Incidentally, MVG customers are also entitled to compensation for journeys by subway, tram or bus – and have been since 2008. There is a 20-minute limit here.
There are around 1,000 applications per year, and even 6,000 before Corona, says MVG spokesman Maximilian Kaltner.
The link
www.s-bahn-muenchen.de/service/kundengarantien