Oh, German train travel. Humming along on modern ICE or even regional trains, it seems perhaps archaic that the conductor still has to come to check tickets, doesn’t it? Shouldn’t Germany, a world leader in engineering and innovation, have thought of something a little more efficient? Well, it seems so. According to Deutsche Bahn, you may be able to check in for your train reservation right from the comfort of your smartphone.
The independence to prove it however you want
Passengers on selected ICE high-speed trains can now play a conductor game, with the ability to check-in via the ‘Comfort Check-In’ option in the DB Navigator app. All you need to do is find your seat reservation (which must be booked ahead of time for an additional fee) and open the trains online WiFi, open the DB app and then validate your tickets.
Once the ticket has been validated, the information is sent to the train attendant, so there is no need to show your ticket again once the conductor reaches the car for inspection. It also means you don’t have to rush to find where to put your ticket as a warning sign “Einmal die Fahrkarten bitte!” or “tickets please” bellow for the conductor!
DB says it has two main advantages
According to Michael Peterson, marketing director at Deutsche Bahn, this self-assessment procedure has two main advantages:
“People who want a more relaxed journey without the ticket check by the train steward can check in using DB Navigator, moreover our employees now have more time to meet individual customer requests.”
Still in testing phase
If you feel more comfortable with face-to-face ticket checking, fear not, this “Comfort Check-In” is still in the testing stages. It is currently being tested on high-speed trains running from Dortmund to Stuttgart, Stuttgart to Essen, Hamburg to Berlin and Hamburg to Munich.
Also, Deutsche Bahn says that they will not make this digital check-in mandatory. Rather, as a side option for those looking to make their trip a little more relaxing.
In other train news…
A young schoolgirl recently found 14,000 euros inside a bag on a U-Bahn in Berlin. But she immediately brought the findings to the police and was well rewarded with a prize of €420.
In another part of the city, ticket collectors who caught a fare evader on the city’s Ubahn line were allegedly attacked by a group of four individuals. The collector apparently called the police after the scammer refused to show identification. As they waited at the train station for the police to arrive, individuals began punching, kicking and even drinking the hoarders as a crowd cheered them on. The toll evader escaped and the hoarders received only minor injuries.
