Passenger flow in the entrance area SBB uses music to get travelers moving at Bern station
For six months, SBB tested whether music could improve the flow of people at the entrance to Bern station. The experiment was a success. The music solution will become permanent.
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- SBB is playing music in the entrance area of Bern station to improve the flow of people.
- A six-month trial has shown that ambient music in the morning and classical music in the afternoon help the crowds move most quickly through the bottleneck at the entrance.
- Other cities also rely on music at public transport hubs - to drive away uninvited guests and improve the sense of security among travelers.
It's not about driving away a certain group of people, an SBB spokeswoman insists back in May, when the experiment at Bern station begins to play music in the entrance area. The aim was to improve the flow of people, she explained on SRF.
The experiment was a success, SBB announced today in Blick. They also tested which style of music produced the best results. Ambient music proved successful in the morning, while in the afternoon foot traffic flowed best with classical music.
The successful experiment will now become a permanent measure. According to SBB, an external agency has been commissioned to design the optimal playlist. SBB is not disclosing which company is involved.
Classical music increases the sense of security
Ten years ago, an attempt was made in Bern to use music to drive people away from the entrance area who were hanging around there. In other train stations and large public transport stops, those responsible also use music to positively influence the behavior of users or make them feel better.
Berlin's public transport company relies on classical music because it increases passengers' sense of security. In Hamburg, Munich, Barcelona and Montreal, SRF has learned that those responsible have found that the constant sound system gets on the nerves of uninvited guests such as dealers and homeless people so much that they prefer to stay somewhere else.
Zurich main station already uses music from loudspeakers, but not in the entrances. SBB does not reveal to Blick whether other stations are to be made more efficient or safer by means of public address systems. They would examine this depending on the situation.
