No on-board ticket sales on DB Regio Bayern trains

It used to be possible to purchase a train ticket after you've boarded the train. As of Sunday April 1st this is no longer possible in DB Regio Bayern trains. The conductors will still be available to check tickets and give out information, in fact, the logic behind this change is to give the staff more time to dedicate to customers.

If for you are unable to purchase a ticket due to a broken machine or no counter/machine available at your station, you will nevertheless be permitted to purchase a ticket from the conductor. But they will probably check up on the information you give to make sure you're telling the truth.

Apparently the information has been posted up around the stations, but I haven't seen it yet. I only found out because we went on a train trip a couple of weekends back and they were announcing it on the trains.

DB statement in German: DB Regio Bayern bietet mehr Service in den Zügen

Nooo, the logic is to save money / generate revenue.

They've put pretty visible window stickers on all the regional trains, inside and out. The guards also have taken to wearing bullet-proof vests just in case the local punters get shirty.

OK - let me rephrase that - the logic *according to the DB press release*

@Pike - I only very rarely travel on regional trains - and I suspect a lot of people round here are the same. If I see a sticker stuck on the window of the train two seconds before getting on the damn thing, I'm not going to turn around and go buy a ticket. I'm just drawing this to the attention of the rest of TT so they don't get caught out.

@Koala - very commendable. I was just pointing out that an inspector will happily refer to said stickers when slapping unsuspecting TTers with the min €40 fine. Why they don't introduce proper tickets and ticket barriers at Hbf is beyond me. Seems DB are happier trying to screw dumbarses like me people. And there's another thing... why can't they frigging have trains with proper doors too and automated announcements, then they might be able to get rid of the frigging inspectors and save us all the pain of a) being woken up to have our tickets checked, being told about all the trains leaving the next station in the next hour like it was news, c) having a whistle blown next to your ear at 6am, like people are like dogs anyway d) whatever.

You have some anger issues there Pike, did a ticket inspector ever turn down your offer of a Guten Abend ride?


What this is doing is transferring the urban concept of pre-buying tickets and then a fine if you are caught without a ticket on DB Regio.
previously you could ride without a ticket and then if caught just buy one. Now you can't.
Unless the ticket machine was faulty where you boarded or the station was so tiny it had no ticket machine.

What DB is also doing though at the same time is massively reducing the number of stations in Bavaria that are staffed by them and forcing people to use other methods like machines, agencies and the tintin for tickets.

All sounds pretty backward anyway: on my local line there are no ticket facilities in almost all stations, but an automat on-board every train (but no conductor to buy tickets from, unless the automat's broken, in which case they often have a guy sat next to it selling tickets!). No worries about needing a ticket before you travel, no staff costs, and no faffing trying to keep things working at unmanned stations. Sorted.

there are some lines with that in Bavaria.
A nightmare if you want to buy a ticket beyond the next largeisg town or need to pay a fare in notes.

on ours you can buy tickets to anywhere on the DB network (albeit with a few more button-presses), and pay in €10 notes...

I remember when the ICE stopped taking cards, I had bought my tickets on board so many times with the old visa, then one night when travelling from Mannheim pretty late (area of station with ticket machines was closed off and ticket desk was also, of course closed) I thought I could just buy on board, got on and a little later the inspector came and informed me that they no longer took cards and had put posters everywhere and had it announced on the radio etc. etc. etc. - funny I had neither seen or heard any of that. Sometimes I think these sudden changes only help to bring in more fines.