As of the end of January 2015, upwards of 37,000 train, bus and Metro commuters in the capital region can kiss goodbye to the 11.5 percent price discount they enjoy when they have their monthly travel card sent to them via mail.
The commuters earn the bonus once they have subscribed for 12 months, but national rail operator DSB have decided to axe the popular scheme at the end of January 2015, which means commuters will no longer receive their monthly card, and accompanying discount, in the mail.
“The traffic companies in the capital regions (Movia, Metro and DSB) have decided to close the subscription service because the system that runs it is obsolete and doesn’t live up to modern security demands,” DSB wrote in a press release.
“The closure is occurring because it is not possible, from a financial or technical perspective, to find a modern solution that can live up to the demands of today.”
The news comes less than a week after the transport minister, Magnus Heunicke, stepped in and urged DSB to shelf its plans to scrap the affordable ’folding seat’ tickets that allow young people aged 16-26 to travel across the nation for just 89 kroner.
READ MORE: Transport minister tells DSB to keep folding seat tickets
Railroading the commuters
In the future, commuters can purchase their month card via an app on their smart phone, at the ticket machines at stations or in Movia’s webshop – which is disappointing, according to commuter spokesperson Michael Randropp.
“It’s incredible that they push away the people who use the scheme the most,” Randropp told TV2 News.
“Regardless of how you look at it, it contradicts the more affordable public transport we’ve been promised when the price increases so significantly for such a large customer group.”
