FFS to close ticket counters at 13 stations from January 1

Context

TL;DR

• Starting January 1, ticket offices at 13 stations will close.
• Staffed points will decrease from 115 to 102.
• 97% of tickets are purchased through self-service channels.
• 3% of tickets are still sold at the ticket counter.

Key facts

• When → from January 1st
• Closures → 13 stations
• Points with staff → 115 today, 102 in three months
• Over-the-counter purchases → 3%; in 2019 just under 10%
• Self-service purchases → 97%; digital 85%

Starting from January 1st, thirteen other small FFS stations will no longer offer personalized advice: in the last decade the service had already disappeared in around fifty locations. The information was confirmed in writing to Keystone-ATS by Moritz Weisskopf, spokesperson for the SBB, following the news published by the Zurich newspaper Blick.

With the exception of Geneva Eaux-Vives, in the district on the left bank of Lake Geneva, the stations affected from next year are all located in German-speaking Switzerland. Travel Centres, a name used by SBB, will remain available in 102 stations.

The reason given for the reduction in supply is the sharp decline in demand for tickets purchased over the counter. The share dropped to 3%, while in 2019 it was still just under 10%. Today 97% of transport tickets are purchased through self-service channels; the majority, 85%, are purchased digitally through the company's app or website. For SBB, operating manned sales outlets in stations with few customers is not economically sustainable.

The number of staffed sales points was 169 at the end of 2016, it is 115 today and in three months it will be 102. In the worst case, reaching the nearest consultancy point could mean up to 30 minutes of extra travel on mezzi pubblici for customers.

Personal consultation remains available for those who need a special subscription, want to exchange cash or need a certification of authenticity for an important document. The closure of travel centers will not lead to layoffs, according to Weisskopf.

«There will be no layoffs; the affected employees will be able to continue to carry out their activities in other travel centers".

Operational details

The shift from the counter to self-service mainly changes how assistance is accessed. The network is not described as being without staff: the point is that advice is concentrated in the remaining centers, while the most frequent purchases shift to digital tools or ticket machines.

Comparing the different needs

The distinction is practical. Anyone who needs to purchase a ticket through a self-service channel can do so without necessarily looking for a location offering assistance. Anyone who instead needs to carry out one of the operations listed by FFS must continue to go to a counter. The availability of the service therefore depends less on the individual departure station and more on the type of request.

For customers at the stations concerned, the change may mean a longer journey to the nearest travel center. The source indicates, in the worst case, up to 30 additional minutes by public transport. This makes it important to distinguish between an ordinary purchase and a procedure requiring personal assistance, especially when a journey to another location must be arranged.

The plan covers several cantons in German-speaking Switzerland, with the exception of Geneva Eaux-Vives. It therefore does not concern just one area of the network, but stations spread across several cantonal territories. FFS have announced the closures through regional press releases, following customary practice.

The long-term outlook also remains open. Weisskopf has not indicated how many assistance points will be present in 2036 or what their exact setup will be. Today, FFS tend to strengthen the remaining travel centers. Anyone who wants to separate the effect of travel from other daily expenses can consult costo della vita in Svizzera.

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Key points

Practical procedure

1. Check the relevant location. FFS announced the closures through regional press releases. For an affected station, the first step is therefore to check whether the staffed location is included in the published list. 2. Determine the type of transaction. Purchasing transport tickets falls under the use of self-service channels; a special pass, cash exchange or authenticity certification, on the other hand, requires assistance at the counter. 3. Use the digital channel when it is sufficient. The FFS app and website are identified by the source as channels through which tickets are purchased in digital format. Alternatively, ticket machines are available. 4. Plan the journey for matters requiring personal assistance. If the usual station no longer offers assistance, another travel centre must be reached. In the worst case, the journey by public transport may take up to 30 minutes longer.

For those who need to go to a counter, distinguishing between the different requests avoids starting from the assumption that every service is available online. The source expressly indicates that some needs will continue to require a staffed location. The digital channel is therefore a solution for purchasing tickets, not a general substitute for assistance.

For staff too, the situation described by FFS is handled differently from that of customers: closing a travel centre does not entail layoffs, and the affected employees can continue their work at other travel centres. For users, however, the operational point of reference remains the location where the necessary assistance is available.

There is no fixed configuration of the network through 2036. Weisskopf explained that it is not currently possible to predict with certainty how many service points will be present then. It is therefore advisable to check regional communications before handling a matter that requires staff, rather than considering access to the counter stable.

To relate any additional time to monthly income, use calcolatore stipendio.

Source: swissinfo.ch