Vandals disabled ticket machines in Basel with black spray paint. A confession letter calls for free public transport for the climate.
“It doesn’t get much more stupid than that,” said one user on a local Facebook group on Thursday with a photo of a damaged ticket machine. In the Gundeldingen district of Basel, several machines belonging to Basler Verkehrs-Betriebe (BVB) were sprayed with black paint so that they could no longer be used.
A letter of confession was taped to the machine for the deed. “Protect the climate – free public transport for all” it says. Public transport is the key to green transport, but it is significantly more expensive than a car. Basel’s poor residents cannot afford tickets and, as a result, their mobility is restricted.
“At this point, we would like to make our modest contribution to an ecological and social Basel,” he continues. “No vending machines – no tickets – no holes in your wallet,” reads the end of the attached note. A Facebook user sees it differently. “At least you can see what it’s all about. Free public transport and vandalism,” he writes in Thursday’s post.
BVB will file a claim
BVB knows about the damaged machines: “BVB is aware of at least four ticket machines sprayed in the Gundeli area. We will clean the dirty machines as soon as possible and make them operational again”, wrote the media spokesperson Benjamin Schmid on request.
By Friday morning, at least one screen of the sprayed machines was already free of black ink, as the editors of the local newspaper “20 Minuten” were able to determine on the spot.
According to the first assessment, it was extensive property damage of several thousand francs. “We still can’t make a definitive assessment of how expensive the repair costs are,” says Schmid. The demand for free public transport is not new. The question must be answered clearly and politically.
“BVB clearly condemns material damage of any kind”, states the public transport operator in the confession letter. Property damage will be reported.
Navigation account 20 minutes, rcp time 01.28.2023, 17:40 | Act: 01/28/2023, 5:40 pm