The Anomaly (Swiss Press Text 2013, by Rico Czerwinski) - Swiss Press Award

Das Magazin des Tages-Anzeigers, der Berner Zeitung und der Basler Zeitung

Rico Czerwinski

Two articles I wrote in April 2012, which for the first time draw attention to a high accident rate among tram and bus drivers of the Zurich Transport Company, which runs counter to all trends in Swiss traffic statistics, as well as to an extreme control culture at the Zurich Transport Company. For many years, the development of driving safety among VBZ drivers has diverged from that of drivers of all other Swiss transport companies and many other road user groups: The number of their accidents has been rising dramatically for many years, while it has been declining for almost all other road user groups. I am drawing attention to these facts for the first time in these two articles. I also draw attention to an extreme, previously undescribed work culture at the Zurich Transport Company, which also differs sharply from that of all other transport companies. While the VBZ and its director offered no comprehensible explanations for the accident figures in discussions, the company initially denied any negative effects of the control culture. After the publication of the articles, the increase in accidents continued to increase. In autumn 2012, it became known that VBZ was planning to fundamentally reduce and reform its internal control system.