An ultimatum. Either within three months the European railway companies put together a plan for a single ticket system or “the European Commission will take care of it”. How? Through a “one-time booking app”. Frans Timmermansvice-president of the European executive body, does not mince words to frame what is an absolute priority for Brussels: facilitating rail transport for European citizens, even from one country to another.
It is essential to ground a platform that allows you to buy a single ticket that can take, for example, from Rome to Bruges, without having to rely on different apps from different national and local transport companies.
To do this you need an agreement between the various operators. A common project. Otherwise the technological infrastructure will be provided by the Commission itself. Timmersman, speaking on Dutch radio Bnr, said: “European railway companies still have three months to come up with a plan for a single ticket system, otherwise the European Commission will take care of it, with a single booking app.”
The role of the Green Deal
Three months is not a far-fetched time. carpenter refers directly to the commitment made in the EU Action Plan on rail transport of December 2021. There the Commission had announced a proposal for a regulation “by the end of 2022” to create a European app to integrate the booking centers of the various operators.
Objective: to make it easier to purchase train tickets between countries. Facilitate the process of searching for the various routes and finalizing the purchase. Also in order to be able to choose the cheapest ticket to reach the desired route.
The EU mobility plan is part of the objectives of the European Green Deal. Timmermans on the occasion of the presentation of the plan had announced “big changes” in the years to come in the way people move in Europe. Mobility in Europe was soon to open up to a “sustainable future”.
Above all, there was a need for “faster European rail connections with easy-to-find tickets and better passenger rights”. It is essential to have a single booking system. On the timing, the vice-president of the Commission pointed out, Brussels is not willing to give discounts.