More and more complaints against BVG employees

The complaints are directed at subway drivers, tram drivers, inspectors or security. There are already too many cases as in the whole of 2022.

The ombudsman in Berlin is reporting more and more complaints against employees of the BVG. Emmanuel Contini

Berlin–The Berlin ombudsman is receiving more and more complaints against employees of the Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) or their service providers. A spokesman for the Senate Department for Integration, Labor and Social Affairs said on request that there were 23 complaints by the deadline of May 11th, as many cases as in the whole of 2022. “The available numbers worry me,” said Senator for Social Affairs Cansel Kiziltepe. “In Berlin, everyone must be able to move freely, without fear of insults and insults.” This applies above all to buses and trains in local public transport.

The complaints were mainly directed at inspectors, bus drivers, subway drivers, tram drivers and security staff of the BVG or their service providers. Among the complaints received so far this year, the most common are discrimination based on disability (in ten cases), age (five cases) and social status (five cases). In four cases there should have been racist attributions.

Company takes complaints against BVG employees very seriously

According to the Senate spokesman, one reason for the increasing number of complaints could be the employment of external service providers. Permanently employed inspectors are more closely linked to the values ​​of the BVG than external providers with frequently changing staff. The BVG employs 40 inspectors of its own. In total, around 100 are in use every day, as a spokesman for the state-owned company said.

The BVG examines every single allegation intensively and comprehensively and ensures a minimum of conflicts with preventive education and training measures, a company spokesman said. “The BVG does not tolerate discrimination in any way.”

It was said that several million people travel in the buses and trains of the BVG every day. “Where many people meet, conflicts can arise in individual cases in which passengers or employees feel that they are not being treated correctly,” said the spokesman. If allegations of this kind are confirmed, then we regret it very much.

Ombudsman in Berlin: Discrimination is increasing in many areas

The ombudsman advises on experiences of discrimination that fall under the Berlin Anti-Discrimination Act. So far, Berlin is the only federal state that has such a law. It aims to protect citizens from discrimination by public authorities.

The number of incoming complaints is not only increasing in the case of the BVG. According to the ombudsman, there were 613 tips in 2021 at the end of April, and the following year there were already 645. In the first quarter of the current year, 205 complaints were counted, 45 percent more than in the same period last year. The fact that the number of complaints in connection with the BVG is also increasing could also be related to the increasing awareness of the ombudsman.