Why Deutsche Bahn's digital rail card is a controversial step

Why Deutsche Bahn's digital rail card is a controversial step

According to a report by www.rnd.de, Deutsche Bahn plans to only offer the Bahncard digitally via the Bahn app in the future. This is supposed to benefit the environment by saving on plastic cards. But this reason is met with criticism because the amount of plastic created by a rail card is negligible compared to other sources. There are also doubts as to whether digitalization is actually more environmentally friendly and is not simply intended to save costs.

The switch to digital rail cards could be problematic for around 40 percent of customers who previously relied on physical cards. These are at least 5.1 million Bahncard holders who rely on the physical card. It is also pointed out that the railway's justification that the digital app cannot be forgotten or lost is questionable, as smartphones can also be lost.

The impact of this change could therefore provoke negative reactions from customers who rely on the physical cards. There is also criticism of the railway as to whether saving plastic is actually an important reason for the change.

It remains to be seen how customers will react to this change and whether the railway will take further criticism and concerns into account.