All aboard? Let the yodelling begin with ‘Sämi the singing driver’

When Samuel 'Sämi' Zumbrunn is at the wheel of the Postbus, the journey promises to be a melodious one. Céline Stegmüller/Swissinfo

Bus driver and yodeller Sämi Zumbrunn turns every ride into an unforgettable experience. Who better to act as ambassador for a Swiss tradition that could soon be on the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list? We meet him in the Bernese Oberland.

As soon as the bus comes around a bend, the children start waving. They have recognised Sämi Zumbrunn, their favourite driver, who will take them back to school after the lunch break. “Sämi, will you yodel for us?” asks a little boy, striped shirt and cowhide belt tightly around his waist, as soon as he gets on board. This request is repeated three times.

Then, after picking up the last tourist, Zumbrunn sings a yodel and immediately the buzz on the bus dies down. While the last notes are still echoing through the windows, a loud applause erupts, accompanied by whistles of approval. Once again, Zumbrunn has won the hearts of his passengers. Today he’s driving the route between Brienz and the Brünig Pass, via Hasliberg.

“That’s the way I am. I like to share my passion for singing and yodelling,” he says, en route to the open-air museum on Ballenberg where, during a short break, he drinks directly from the fountain.

Previous Next

Zumbrunn’s house is typically Swiss. Céline Stegmüller/Swissinfo

His passion for yodelling can be found everywhere. Céline Stegmüller/Swissinfo

• Picture 1
• Picture 2

“I grew up in a farming family in Unterbach, near Meiringen. Even as a boy, I sang while milking cows or tending heifers on the Kaltenbrunnen alp in the Reichenbach valley,” recalls Zumbrunn, now 62.

At home, people were always singing: washing the dishes, after dinner or while on the mountain. This connection with animals, nature and Alpine landscapes deeply marked his childhood and adolescence.

“When I was 12, I got a tape with a compilation of songs by the best yodellers of the time. I listened to it a thousand times – so much so that the desire grew in me to become as good at yodelling as them.”

‘The best PostBus trip of my life’

Zumbrunn learnt the trades of carpenter and farmer and, at 19, joined the Ringgenberg yodelling club. The director encouraged him to cultivate his singing skills, inviting him to private singing lessons.

“Thanks to daily practice I developed a range of four octaves,” he says.

His first performance at a yodelling party was 40 years ago. “I got the best grade: class 1,” he says with pride. It’s the first of many distinctions.

Yodelling: UNESCO candidate

Yodelling is in the running to become part of UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage. The candidature was submitted in 2024 and a decision is expected by the end of 2025.

Practised in Switzerland by more than 12,000 singers, yodelling is passed on within families, clubs and schools, keeping it alive and popular.

But despite its popularity, efforts are needed to secure its future. Measures such as improving national coordination, expanding training offers, supporting young talents and raising public awareness have been developed.

Switzerland has already won several UNESCO awards for its living traditions, including the Winegrowers’ Festival, the Basel Carnival, the Mendrisio processions, watchmaking and the Alpine season.

His career as a driver began at the same time: first driving a milk tanker, then coaches. It brought him into contact with people and the tourism sector, the backbone of the economy in the Bernese Oberland.

In time, he became an ambassador for Grindelwald, the Jungfraubahnen and Switzerland Tourism. He travelled halfway around the world, always taking his yodel with him.

“Music speaks a universal language – it’s understandable everywhere because it comes from the heart,” he says. “It can build bridges between cultures and forge friendships because it conveys harmony.”

Even between Brienz and the Brünig Pass, Zumbrunn radiates joie de vivre. As he tackles the narrow roads of Hasliberg, the singing driver, as he likes to call himself, turns on his microphone and greets international tourists with a Grüessech, announcing that he wants to give them a present. “If you like it, take it with you, otherwise leave it on the bus.”

This scene repeats itself many times. At first, the passengers are bewildered, then a smile of surprise and joy appears on their faces. Leaving the bus, some thank him for the unexpected gift; others, still emotional, confess they have just experienced “the best PostBus trip of my life”.

“I’m lucky enough to be able to combine work with my great passion, and people appreciate that,” Zumbrunn says.

The dream

It was an American tourist from Chicago whom he met in Grindelwald who encouraged him to take the next step in his career as a yodeller.

“Every month he wrote me a letter asking if I had finally recorded my first CD,” Zumbrunn says. “I called it Singing Driver, since that was now the nickname the passengers had given me. The collection was a great success, especially among Japanese tourists.”

The first album was followed by two more. The latest is My Jodlerwäg (My yodel path), released to celebrate 40 years of his career.

Zumbrunn continues to entertain his passengers, but he can’t do anything against the irresistible attraction of smartphones. A class of pupils in Bern fail to look up from their phones when he starts singing, but as they wait for the train at the station he gives them one more song and they finally give him some attention: they film him and, presumably, immediately share the video on social media.

Sämi Zumbrunn still has dreams. He has climbed many Swiss mountain peaks, such as the Wetterhorn and the Mönch. “Next summer I want to climb the Eiger, along the Mittellegigrat,” he says.

Asked what other musical projects he has up his sleeve, he replies: “Performing at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg. I want to bring my mountains and nature into the concert hall overlooking the Elbe,” he says.

After a coffee break it’s already time to get back behind the wheel. A few minutes pass and Zumbrunn is yodelling once again.

“I want to give you something,” he explains to the new passengers. “If you like it, take it with you, otherwise leave it on the bus…”

Edited by Daniele Mariani. Adapted from Italian by DeepL/ts