Despite older pupils being allowed back to school last Monday as part of the easing of coronavirus lockdown measures, trains and buses remain only half full, transport companies say.
Passenger numbers have increased very gradually, and currently stand at around 55% of normal capacity in regional trains and 45% on intercity trains, Swiss Federal Railways spokesman Frédéric Revaz told the Swiss news agency Keystone-SDA.
At the height of the pandemic, passenger volume dropped by 90%.
Post Bus – the yellow buses seen on many Swiss roads – also said that passenger numbers were well down compared with before the coronavirus crisis, but were slowly picking up.
The only exceptions were tourist routes that were popular during Whitsun and Ascension holidays in May, said spokesman Urs Bloch.
There was also an 80-90% drop in passenger numbers at Post Bus during March and April, the company added. Now the buses are about half full.
Older pupils at non-compulsory schools (age 15-16 onwards) have been allowed back to school since June 8, however many cantons (who are in charge of educational matters in Switzerland) have opted to send pupils back part-time. Younger pupils have been allowed back to school since May 11.
Masks on public transport
Only a small minority of people are wearing protective face masks on public transport – it is recommended when busy but not obligatory in Switzerland. Post Bus reckons it’s around 5%; the federal railways did not give a number.
On Friday, the latest opinion poll carried out by the Sotomo research institute found that only people in the Italian-speaking region of Switzerland – bordering northern Italy, a hotbed of Covid-19 in Europe – are strongly in favour of masks on public transport. The French-speaking part of Switzerland also supports this but to a lesser extent. The German-speaking region is narrowly against the wearing of masks in trains and buses.
More
More
Swiss support wanes for masks and Covid tracing app
This content was published on
The Swiss remain sceptical about the use of face masks and a tracing device to contain the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, a survey has found.
This content was published on
According to "Schweizer Illustrierte", Swiss actor Carlos Leal is returning to Switzerland - after 15 years in Los Angeles. "It's become loud there, megalomaniacal and arrogant," he said in the online edition of the magazine.
This content was published on
A coin collector has filed a criminal complaint with the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland against Swissmint, the federal mint, for fraud in connection with the sale of the limited-edition 100-franc gold Vreneli.
Museum to open devoted to Swiss ski legend Vreni Schneider
This content was published on
Vreni Schneider is to have a museum in the centre of her home village of Elm. The legendary Swiss ski racer has numerous memorabilia at home, which she is now releasing and exhibiting.
This content was published on
A shooting range in Wittenbach, northeastern Switzerland, was broken into on Sunday night. The unknown perpetrators stole several antique weapons.
Euro 2025: most of crowd at Germany-France match were women
This content was published on
At Saturday's European Championship quarterfinal in Basel, the majority of the crowd at a football match in St. Jakob-Park was female for the first time.
Pilots’ union seeks to end deal with SWISS over working conditions
This content was published on
The Aeropers pilots’ union is expected to end its collective labour agreement with SWISS, as it pushes for better working conditions for its members.
Drugs often approved for wider use than tested, says Swiss study
This content was published on
A study by the University of Zurich, ETH Zurich and Yale and Harvard universities found that many medicines are approved for groups not tested in trials.
This content was published on
Over the four days, around 98,000 people – including volunteers – made their way up Bern’s local mountain for the 42nd edition of the festival.
Foreign residents in Moutier gain voting rights before town joins canton Jura
This content was published on
Foreign nationals living in Moutier will be able to vote in local and cantonal elections this year, even before the town joins the canton of Jura in 2026.
This content was published on
By 8am on Saturday, an 11-kilometre queue had formed at the Gotthard tunnel’s northern entrance, with drivers facing nearly two hours of delays.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Few masks or commuters seen in Swiss stations
This content was published on
The main train stations in Bern and Zurich lacked their usual bustle on Monday morning, despite public transport returning largely to normal.
This content was published on
As Swiss public transport prepares to resume normal schedules, Swiss Railways has presented plans for preventing the spread of coronavirus.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.