A system on the move: how Swiss public transport is revolutionising sustainable mobility
When in Switzerland, hopping on a train, bus or boat is not only your most efficient way to get from A to B, but also the most responsible. With trains powered by renewable energy, electric buses, ongoing innovation and participation in a national sustainability programme, public transport forms the backbone of planet-friendly mobility.
The day breaks over the Swiss Plateau, and a train sets off, its carriages gliding through fields, suburbs and stations. In a side valley, a PostBus whisks the first commuters off to work. On the lake a steamboat pulls quietly away from the pier, its empty seats waiting to welcome the day trippers on board.
Public transport is woven into the fabric of daily life in Switzerland and has stood the country in good stead for decades. But why stand still when the path of progress beckons? Switzerland is steadily stepping closer to its vision of anchoring not only efficiency in its mobility system but also the climate goals for the planet's future.
SBB trains are powered entirely by renewable energy.
Apart from non-motorised transport such as a leisurely stroll or a cycling tour, taking a train has long been the most climate-friendly way to explore Switzerland. But you can now take a trip on the tracks with an even better conscience than ever before: since 1 January 2025, all Swiss Federal Railways SBB rail-rolling is powered entirely by electricity from renewable sources.
A substantial share of this transition is propelled by Swiss-made power, as Switzerland lives up to its reputation as Europe's water reservoir. Indeed, most of the trains keep on rolling thanks to domestic hydropower from the SBB's own eight plants. This solution hooks high capacity up with low CO₂ emissions, with Swiss rivers not just turning the turbines but also powering a daily flow of nearly 1.4 million travellers. But the sustainable mobility doesn't stop at the train station.
PostBus and company: e-power for bus networks
What has long been de rigeur on the rails is now also picking up speed on the roads: more and more buses in Switzerland are electric. PostBus is also switching over, with its sights set on fully foregoing fossil fuels by 2035. Some routes have already gone electric. In Sion, for example, the entire fleet of urban buses was already fitted with e-motors in 2024. Electric PostBuses are also making the rounds in other parts of Valais, and beyond that in Ticino, Graubünden and elsewhere in Switzerland.
The federal government has been spurring on this progress with targeted contributions to e-vehicle procurement for regional road transport.
And unique progress is on the way for getting to places roads won't take you, but waterways will.
How sunlight is turned into fuel for boats
On Lake Lucerne, an engine of the future is in the works. In synergy with the cleantech company Synhelion, the Lake Lucerne Navigation Company (SGV) is planning to use a climate-neutral fuel made from sunlight for the first time. The technology is based on many years of research at ETH Zurich and uses concentrated solar energy to transform CO2 and water into synthetic fuel in a thermochemical process. Sound like science fiction? Nope. Just Swiss reality in the making.
A boat steeped in Swiss history will make the maiden voyage: built in 1913 and still the fastest paddle steamer on any of Europe's lakes, the Gallia is set to become – in 2027 – the first passenger ship to run entirely on the new solar fuel.
Getting there sustainably by train, bus and boat
Switzerland Tourism's Swisstainable programme recognises particularly climate-friendly services. And those of the SGV, SBB and PostBus are among them. All three companies have been recognised for their commitment to sustainability and carry it forth on water, rail and road.
And there are many other excellent reasons to discover the country by train, bus and boat: spectacular routes, a dense transport network, reliable connections and complete flexibility. And all of it with just one ticket – such as the Swiss Travel Pass, which allows international guests unlimited travel throughout the country. The result is a travel culture that focuses not on doing without, but on connections: between comfort and climate concerns, between discovery and responsibility.