The survey findings bucked expectations: despite the public health crisis, respondent satisfaction was higher in 2020 than in 2019. Between September and November 2020, over 16,000 public transport users and 27 German public transport providers took part in the comparative study by Kantar, a data science, insights and consulting company.  

No fewer than three FAIRTIQ partners topped the ranking

The Dresdner Verkehrsbetriebe (DVB) – FAIRTIQ partner since summer 2020 – as well as the Erfurter Verkehrsbetriebe (EVAG) – a partner since spring 2020 – and the  Göttinger Verkehrsbetriebe (GöVB) –a partner since summer 2019 – performed extremely well in the survey. 

Kantar asked respondents how satisfied they were with various aspects of their public transport user experience, including the services on offer, fares, serviced stops and safety.

As Christian Jödden, Head of Germany's Public Transport User Barometer, explains, "Of all public transport providers, DVB enjoyed the highest customer satisfaction. It came first in 13 categories and notched up the most top-three rankings. This means that DVB made it to the winner's podium a total of 26 times." 

GöVB customers were particularly happy with the company's electronic and smartphone ticketing solutions, as well as its apps and smartphone-based information provision. 

In a statement on its website, GöVB responded to the findings, "Given the user figures we have for our beeline fare, we were not in the least surprised by the results. It re-affirms that we are on the right track and will forge ahead our plans to refine and expand our digital strategy." 

"At FAIRTIQ, we work hand in hand with providers to make it easier and more appealing to use public transport. We are therefore delighted at the first-rate performance of our partners in the survey, and congratulate all of the companies on their positive results," Gian-Mattia Schucan, FAIRTIQ founder and CEO.

More details about the survey here.