[2016-10-29] BBC News: Swiss railway ticket machines to sell Bitcoin digital...

[pawel7777]

Nice, juicy press hit from yesterday by BBC:

Swiss railway ticket machines to sell Bitcoin digital currency

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-37810438

Switzerland's national rail service (SBB) plans to start selling the digital currency Bitcoin at stations next month.

From 11 November, customers will be able to trade Swiss francs for Bitcoins using ticket machines.

They will not be able to buy tickets with the web-based currency, though.

The SBB said it had been testing customer demand for Bitcoin across the country, and had decided to launch a two-year pilot project.

To buy Bitcoins, would-be purchasers will have to give a mobile phone number for identification.

Transactions will be capped at 500 Swiss Francs (£415 / $500) each. One Bitcoin currently equals around 708.64 Swiss Francs, but it is possible to buy fractions of the currency.

Swiss financial services company SweePay is providing the conversion service.

"There have been few possibilities to obtain Bitcoins in Switzerland until now," SBB said. "With its 1,000-plus ticket machines, SBB operates a dense, around-the-clock distribution network that's suited for more than just ticket sales."
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[1Referee]

It's nice of course as this may stimulate other industries to also follow the same road, but it's very important that they really take the time for it. Especially when you consider that everything will start to move slowly at the very beginning. If after 6 months of barely any usage they stop offering this service, then it would be a sad thing and Bitcoiners will be quite disappointed. They have to sit out the entire 2 year time period.

I hope the next step will be that they allow people to use these coins to buy their tickets with. That would be even more intense. It's very simple, if you offer people to buy Bitcoin through your machines, then also allow people to spend it through your machines. Perhaps that it will happen later.