Bavaria
Software error in the ticket machine – students get semester tickets at a bargain price
A ticket machine in a train station. In Nuremberg, a vending machine now provided bargain prices. (icon picture)
© Stephan Schulz/ / Picture Alliance
Semester tickets are expensive for students, often involving hundreds of euros. It’s different in Bavaria: There, students could now buy tickets at a bargain price.
Traveling by public transport for half a year and only paying as much as you would for a coffee? Sounds like a good deal for young people. In Bavaria, a number of students were able to take advantage of this offer. However, it was not an official discount campaign or the now well-known “9 for 90” ticket that is being promoted by the federal government.
Software errors on ticket machines: Bargains for Nuremberg students
Instead, a ticket machine for the VGN transport association (Nuremberg area) had a significant software error: the additional ticket there normally costs 207 euros per semester – but thanks to the software error, it was only 2.07 euros here. No wonder that the news spread among the students at lightning speed and probably caused record sales at the machines – mind you only in terms of tickets, not in terms of income. According to “BR”, a number of students not only bought a ticket for themselves, but also had their fellow students give them their matriculation numbers and also ordered tickets for them at a special price.
Tickets really valid? Transport companies announce investigation
According to “BR”, it was initially unclear how many tickets were sold at a ridiculous price. However, there are “many”, as the Nuremberg transport company VAG announced according to an initial assessment. It is also still unclear whether the special price will actually pay off for the students. The validity of the tickets must now be clarified. If the tickets are actually valid, there should also be trouble between VAG and Deutsche Bahn. The machine in question was operated by Deutsche Bahn, but the tickets are valid for VAG.
Source: “BR24”