Traveling with Frankfurt train inspectors: the later the evening, the bolder the guests

Created: 08/05/2022, 14:12

By: Sabine Schramek

The Frankfurter Verkehrsgesellschaft (VGF) is increasingly checking mask requirements and tickets.

The employees often experience unpleasant scenes.

Frankfurt – When Rachid D., Dilyet Y., Saray G. and Souad J. check on behalf of the Frankfurt Transport Authority (VGF), they not only wear their uniforms, but also a thick skin.

Like 106 other employees, they are used by the service company Wisag as a service and inspection service on the railways, as reported by fnp.de.

"Aggressiveness has increased since Corona," says Souad, who is one of the 15 percent or so women who act as inspectors.

All last names remain anonymous because of the aggression.

"As a woman, you're not taken seriously at first," she says with a friendly smile.

"But people don't get so loud with women."

The four inspectors are on the road on behalf of the Frankfurt transport company.

© Rainer Rueffer

With a practiced eye, she and her three colleagues board the subway.

Some passengers quickly pull the mask over their mouth and nose, others get out very quickly.

A young man with a shirt and suit on the cleaning hanger has "forgotten his ticket" and is given a long ticket for 60 euros "increased fare".

He says "thank you" because he is told that he only has to pay a processing fee of seven euros if he subsequently delivers the valid ticket.

Police have to intervene in Frankfurt: woman without a ticket and mask gets rough

A woman without a ticket and a mask gets rough.

"I want the police to come," she says venomously on the platform, holding her stomach in annoyance.

She doesn't want to show any papers so that the ticket inspectors can issue her the tickets.

The police are informed, and some members of the security service are also at a distance from the platform they were asked to be on.

After a brief discussion with the inspectors, a fresh mask and a bottle of water, she changes her mind and shows her ID.

The police will be canceled again, it costs them 110 euros.

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"It's a balancing act when dealing with passengers," says Sven Heller, the group manager for quality assurance at VGF.

"On the one hand, service is the top priority, on the other hand, we punish if there are no tickets or no masks are worn. You need a sure instinct."

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The four inspectors confirm this.

"You can quickly see who is rushing to the track and briefly forgets to put on the mask. Then a show of hands is enough. Then we don't collect it either," says Saray.

"If we are insulted, we don't take it personally."

During the six-week training, two to three days are devoted exclusively to de-escalation and dealing with difficult situations.

A slumped woman is sitting on a pillar on the platform.

Two inspectors speak to her, give her water and call an ambulance.

"We do that about 80 times a month. Even more often now that it's so hot," they say and stay with the woman until help arrives.

Trains to Frankfurt Central Station "particularly difficult"

Rachid and Dilyet are on the next train.

All passengers wear masks and have valid tickets.

"It's rare," they say.

In the tram there are some who have excuses and have to pay.

The underground and trams from and to the main station are particularly difficult.

None of the four controls would want to do it alone.

They are happy that there are Wisag security guards at the stations who also work for the VGF and wear vests with yellow stripes.

"A vest weighs eight kilos," says one of the four security guards.

He is tall, muscular and has piercing blue eyes.

"But the safety vests are important," he says.

Two weeks ago, during the lunch break at the Konstablerwache, he and a colleague knocked down a man who had stabbed a passer-by with a machete.

The police took him away.

Frankfurt: VGF security service is quickly on the spot in the riot

Two young people are sitting in a subway from Frankfurt main station without a mask and without a ticket.

You will be sent off the train.

The man reportedly had no papers with him.

"Watch out, he's running around," whispers an inspector to his colleagues.

The woman stays, the aggressive man, who is clearly drugged, runs up the stairs.

The woman shows her papers and gets the bill.

Slowly the man comes back down half the stairs.

"I found your mother..." he scolds Rachid and Saray.

They stay cool and don't give a damn if they feel hurt.

"It's much worse in the evening," says Souad.

"There's a lot of people venting all their anger and getting really bold."

The worst are adolescents in puberty and those who refuse to wear masks.

People who are just out for riots and aggression.

It doesn't help, they have to pay too.

If passengers make a riot, the security service is there very quickly.

(Sabine Schramek)

In a nationwide comparison of bus and tram speeds, Frankfurt is far behind.

The situation is improving only slowly.