20 Minuten must reapply

Distribution SBB is retendering newspaper boxes in Zurich, Basel and Berne The commuter newspaper 20 Minuten will not have its boxes in Zurich, Basel and Berne forever. The contract expires at the end of the year. This means that 20 Minuten could soon face competition. SBB is planning a new invitation procedure for box locations at SBB stations in the Golden Triangle for fall 2005. Beat-Gaudenz Schwarz from SBB-Immobilien says that they are currently working on the basis for this. It is already clear that interested parties can once again apply for exclusive rights, provided they make an appropriate offer, and neither publishing director Rolf Bollmann nor Schwarz are willing to say how many boxes are currently filled daily by 20 Minuten. What is certain is that the first tenders in Zurich mentioned 340 boxes at 170 stops, in Bern 200 locations and in Basel 120. However, the Bern and Basel figures also include locations belonging to other transport companies. It is likely that the SBB in Berne will once again carry out the tender together with its public transport partners.
Schwarz emphasizes that deviations from the current number of boxes are possible: "SBB bases its services on the S-Bahn network and commuter flows." The canton of Aargau, for example, is therefore likely to be equipped with additional boxes. On the other hand, Schwarz does not believe in box locations beyond the national border, for example in the German Wiesental near Basel. Although SBB operates an S-Bahn line there, it does not own the land. (mk)