To take advantage of the reduced ticket prices from the Burgenland Transport Authority (VBB), an official pensioner ID is required according to the fare. This is annoying for co-insureds.
The new era in public transport in Burgenland, which started in September, does not only cause celebration. This is also the case with Hildegard Ringhofer from Pinkafeld, who has been regularly commuting to Vienna by bus for years.
Rather with Dr. Richard operated line G1, today with the B01 of the VBB. To get a reduced ticket for pensioners, Mrs. Ringhofer – like many others of her generation – was used to purchasing an authorization card once a year for a price of 16 euros, so that she could use the G1 for pensioners all year round could use to drive around.
ID cards without validity
With the takeover of the line by the VBB, this contribution no longer exists. Identity cards issued at the beginning of the year also lose their validity. To ensure that seniors continue to receive a discount, the VBB’s official fare regulations recently required them to present a pensioner identity card.
And that is exactly what makes Hildegard Ringhofer angry, because “as a co-insured, I am not entitled to such an identity card. The fact that, as an 84-year-old, I now have to pay full price for a bus trip to Vienna, just because I have taken care of my husband, three children and the household all my life, is pure discrimination.”
Innovations confirmed over the phone
During her last bus rides, the Pinkafeld woman was repeatedly informed of the new regulations by bus drivers. In search of help, the 84-year-old turned to the VBB hotline, where this innovation was confirmed to the lady. When requested, the VBB tries to limit the damage in the case.
VBB tracks down incompetent bus drivers
“The statement of a subcontractor bus driver does not correspond to the facts. On the contrary: VBB sees itself as the mobility service provider of Burgenland. We do not charge ‘fictitious costs’ for issuing an annual identity card. As proof of discount we accept any documentation of legal retirement age, i.e. a pension card, identity card or passport. It is also not the responsibility of the drivers to decide who does or does not get a ride at a discount,” explains general manager Wolfgang Werderits.
Source: Krone
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