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National MBS
Consumer organization Testaankoop and equal opportunities center Unia issued an ultimatum to NMBS: They complain that it is cheaper to buy some transport tickets via the app than at the counter and vending machines.
© Jan van der Pere
Testaankoop and Unia have given NMBS an ultimatum of August 31. If the railway company does not address the issue of “digital discrimination” by then, a lawsuit will be filed. Both organizations complain that buying an NMBS ten-journey ticket through the app is €3 cheaper. Other transport tickets are only available through the app.
“The digital divide is a reality and it is our job as a consumer organisation to reduce this gap as much as possible,” said Laura Clays, a spokeswoman for Testaankoop. “It is inconceivable that we would accept that there still exists a group of people without adequate digital skills and that it is even more difficult for them to buy train tickets at a fair price.”
According to Unia and Testaankoop, NMBS believes that its management contract could bring price advantages to the digital product. “In addition, NMBS said that it only involved a limited number of tickets and that the price difference was small. The digital product would also limit the potential for fraud, reduce discussions with train conductors, and improve ease of use.”
Unia and Testaankoop called the arguments “unconvincing”. “Unia is committed to giving everyone equal access to automated or digitized public and private services,” said Els Keytsman, director general of Unia.
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