Graubünden initiative seeks to preserve cash payments

An initiative requiring public services to continue accepting cash has been filed in Chur with 15,781 signatures, SRF reported. It covers services including public transport, toilets and car parks.

Only 3,000 signatures were required. Thirty-five volunteers collected them within two months.

Initiator Berta Caminada said people, particularly those living in remote regions, were discriminated against when payments could be made only digitally.

Her campaign began nearly a year ago after she was unable to pay for a ticket in cash on a Postauto bus. She then submitted a petition with more than 8,000 signatures, but said the cantonal government and Postauto saw no need for action.

The signatures will now be checked before voters in the canton of Graubünden decide on the initiative. No date for the vote has been announced.

The initiative committee also includes four members of the Graubünden SVP party. Caminada said other political groups had declined to support the proposal. Because she had little experience in politics, the SVP also helped her draft the initiative.

Debate over bus drivers’ workload

One demand is that passengers should continue to be able to pay cash on Postauto buses. Caminada and Roman Hug, the president of the cantonal SVP, rejected the suggestion that this would create difficulties for drivers.

Caminada said drivers would have time to sell tickets and drive when buses did not run every 30 minutes. Hug said the stability of Postauto operations had not been at risk 15 years ago, when cash payments were still possible.

The SVP supports digitalisation in principle, Hug said, but older people, people with disabilities and young people should not be excluded.

Cash payments were also discussed in the Graubünden cantonal parliament, known as the Grand Council. In August, it instructed the government to ensure that cash payment options were available at cantonal and municipal infrastructure.

A parliamentary initiative on the issue has also been submitted at national level. The National Council is expected to discuss it during the current autumn session.