Public transportation in pandemic time under the lens

The heads of public transport of Switzerland and the cantons discussed the effects of the COVID19 pandemic on the sector and its future

Public transport managers from the Swiss Confederation and cantons discussed the effects of the COVID19 pandemic on the sector and its future.
The traditional public transport conference of the Federal Office of Transport (FOT), held on April 23, 2021, was this year for the first time organized jointly with the plenary meeting of the Conference of Cantonal Directors of Public Transport (CTP).
Federal Councillor Simonetta Sommaruga also attended the virtual event.

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In her introductory speech, the Minister of Transport spoke about the important role of public transport (PT) in overcoming the COVID19 crisis.
“The basic offer has been guaranteed, from Geneva to Zernez, in cities as well as in the countryside,” she said, thanking all those involved for their enormous efforts.
He also addressed the topic of the CO2 law, which will be put to a popular vote in June and will bring some benefits for PTs as well.

“Additional means for the purchase of electric buses.”

“For example, additional means will be made available for the purchase of electric buses. In addition, international connections by train will be promoted,” he added.
The joint conference was held under the leadership of FOT Director Peter Füglistaler and PTI President Laurent Favre.
Both recalled the major difficulties faced by PTs at the beginning of the pandemic.

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The long-standing contacts between the federal government and the cantons, as well as between the transport companies and SBB and PostBus as system operators, have resulted in excellent cooperation.
The drafting of the Urgent Federal Act on Support for Public Transport was a pragmatic solution that will enable the transport companies to overcome the crisis without financial damage that would threaten their existence.

Approximately CHF 900 million in aid made available

A total of around 900 million Swiss francs has been made available to mitigate the consequences of the pandemic.
To support regional traffic in the years 2020 and 2021 and local and tourist traffic in 2020, Parliament released more than 450 million francs.
Forecasts indicate that transport companies will still experience losses in pandemic-related revenue until 2024.
If necessary, these repercussions will be absorbed through additions to the commitment credit for regional passenger traffic 2022-2025.

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“PTI thanks the Federal Council and Parliament for their support. The cantons will continue to monitor the situation while waiting for the new data, which will be published in May. After analyzing them, if necessary we will ask for additional financial support from the Confederation”, these are the words of PTI President Laurent Favre, State Councillor of the Canton of Neuchâtel.
It is currently extremely difficult to estimate the long-term development of passenger numbers.
For this reason, the FOT will be conducting a study in conjunction with the Federal Roads Office (FEDRO) to assess the medium- and long-term consequences of the COVID19 pandemic on demand in passenger and freight traffic.
The partners agree on the need for continuous monitoring of the situation and regular discussions.

A new tariff system is being prepared in the country

PTI President Laurent Favre presented the “Grobkonzept Integriertes Tarifsystem” (GITA), a key project of the Alliance SwissPass which envisages the creation of an integrated tariff system.
Since the issue of tariffs is also of interest to the customers, who are the main financial backers of the PTs, a group has been set up to follow the project closely, consisting of representatives from both the PTC and the FOT, but also from the associations of Swiss municipalities and cities.
In addition, the FOT provided information on the current status of the draft law on the promotion of multimodal mobility, which includes the creation of a “national mobility data infrastructure” (INDM) that, as a public service, would enable the exchange of mobility data.

This infrastructure must be independent, reliable, non-discriminatory and non-profit.
Its use will be voluntary and the data will remain with the respective owners. A proposal will be submitted to the Federal Council by the end of 2021 regarding the follow-up.
Finally, the FOT reported on the amendment to the Passenger Transport Act, which includes adjustments to the ordering system in regional passenger transport as well as changes in the areas of accounting and controlling and the inclusion of elements from the multimodal mobility consultation.
The Federal Council is expected to submit the corresponding message to Parliament this year.