Informal statement by the Austrian Railways Regulations aligned with retirement age Because the AOB does not have the authority under the Constitution to monitor the ÖBB (Austrian Railways) and Wiener Linien (Vienna’s Public Transport Authority), it was not able to initiate an official investigative proceeding, but obtained informal statements. The ÖBB informed the AOB that according to an expert opinion of the Equal Treatment Commission, it does not see a need for action to initiate a change. Rather this is a social benefit to equalise the generally lower income of women. Wiener Linien declared that their regulations are aligned with the statutory retirement age, which is protected under the Constitution and stipulated under the law. This age is 60 for women and 65 for men. The AOB was assured that the question of an adjustment of the senior tariffs would be included in the current discussion of tariffs. The Minister for Transport stated that differentiated senior benefits could be seen as a positive measure to promote equal treatment and referred to currently pending court proceedings. Just like the Minister of Social Affairs she said that it was not possible for government offices to interfere in the pricing set by the autonomous associations of transport services. Explanations not satisfactory Directive to be revised 42 This is not satisfactory for the AOB. Due to the many complaints, the AOB is quite aware of the widespread cases of unequal treatment of women both in the workplace and outside of this sector. In this case, however, the AOB does not see a social benefit or a positive measure to promote equal treatment/status of women. If the price discounts are actually pursuing solely social aspects, then the general question arises why price benefits for men and women are exclusively attached to the statutory retirement age. People who are affected have left the labour force for health reasons years prior to reaching retirement age and they then generally receive lower pensions. In recent years, retirees who have retired due to invalidity or disability have contacted the AOB and generally complained about the “social imbalance” of these policies regarding aid granted by the public sector. The AOB assumes that public funds must be distributed without discrimination. If the state has private entities provide a public service, such as social tariffs, it must ensure that they are provided without any discrimination. The Minister of Traffic announced that the Directive dealing with this matter will be revised in 2010.