Bahn is considering lowering the low prices – FAZ – Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

The German Railways is considering to reduce their savings rates in the long-distance traffic permanently. The aim is to attract more price-sensitive customers on the web, the board member for traffic and transport, Berthold Huber, the German press agency said in Berlin.

from 11 February to 20 March, the Group intends to again provide large scale tickets for 19 euros. “We try it now again, and then make a decision, which may introduce permanently,” said Huber.

Last year, the railway 4.5 million tickets had in two actions by its own account each sold 19 euros. The passengers were thereby driven 450 km on average. How many of these special tickets will come time to market with specific train, is open to the Hubers words: “The tickets are of course subject to quotas for the individual trains. But there is no limit to the total number. “

The competition in particular by distance buses has greatly added to the web. 2015 increased the number of passengers slightly however to approximately 130 million to 129 million in the previous year.

In the web there are mind games about to create leeway for the Flex price. This is the previously mentioned normal price tariff which is payable on the web without discount or special ticket. “I would imagine that the Flex price also varies,” said Huber. Radical changes in the price system are not to be expected.

“At the moment it is the case that we in the economy price segment decrease in average prices with the effect that I get more passengers in the trains and hopefully at the end more sales do, “Huber explained his strategy. “We are trying a place for sale, which would otherwise remain empty.” The pricing should the web “are much more flexible and faster. As we can learn from the remote buses. “

Huber also thinks about the BahnCard 50 for students permanently cheaper to sell. “We have had 50 significant problems with the BahnCard, because we had lost a huge customer among the young people.” Because it now give more choice when traveling, the young people would have asked, “should I spend so much money on a piece of plastic of which I do not know exactly whether I need it “.

Therefore, the train had 50 tentatively introduced the student rail card for half the price of 68,50 Euro. “We evaluate the test currently still out, but you can already see, we have the BahnCard significantly longer sold in the young target group,” says Huber. Thereby the company take while in BahnCards less, but more in the train: “Because if the customer even have a railway pass, then drive it well.”