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Pressure from Berlin bus drivers halts re-introduction of front boarding
Pressure from workers has led to the Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG, Berlin Transit Company) postponing the re-introduction of front boarding for the fourth time.
But this postponement is only a tactical retreat. The house union Verdi and the management need more time to better prepare against the drivers. Moreover, the delay does not change the current risk of contagion to which the drivers and the vehicle cleaners are constantly exposed and in which Verdi is not the least interested.
On April 26 in its press release, BVG had officially announced it would re-introduce front boarding and on-bus ticket sales from May 3. Berlin bus drivers responded angrily to this announcement and the claim by the chairperson of the BVG board Eva Kreienkamp that “protective screens,” “cashless” ticket sales and a lot of “ventilation” meant drivers were “safe” and that this was confirmed by a study commissioned