Swiss transport industry sought higher fare hikes before regulator intervention

Documents obtained via freedom of information requests reveal that the Swiss public transport industry originally sought much higher fare increases than those eventually implemented for December. While the industry ultimately announced an average increase of 3.6 percent, internal plans from the Alliance Swisspass suggested significantly steeper hikes.

Proposed increases included a 200-franc jump for the 2nd class General Abonnement (GA), a 4.39 percent rise for single tickets, and an 8.3 percent increase for dog passes. The industry cited rising energy, personnel, and material costs, as well as investment needs, as justifications for the hikes.

Swiss price regulator Stefan Meierhans contested these claims, arguing that the alleged cost increases were not mathematically justifiable. Following negotiations, the planned GA surcharge was halved, and the SBB committed to providing 90 million francs worth of saver tickets. Despite these interventions, the GA will exceed 4,000 francs for the first time at the end of the year.