SBB Mobile

The app wouldn’t take my visa payment or Schwab’s debit card so I couldn’t buy a ticket and therefore missed my train. Otherwise good app. (Edit: I have now experienced the Italian transportation system, it can get so much worse. SBB gets another star.)

The app is excellent for trip planning. Explicit, flawless directions with multiple options for Zurich city transit as well as all of Switzerland. But, sadly, there are barriers. We created an account, but could not load a credit card. Tried repeatedly with multiple cards. Discovered you need to supply a PIN number which US VISA does not provide. We were able to buy tix at tram stops and stations with VISA however we could not purchase 112,0 CHF tix from Zurich to Lucerne. Discovered again that a purchase of 80,0 CHF or more requires a PIN number or a signature. The second issue is using the tram stop ticket boxes is difficult if you can’t read German language, but you can decipher enough to get by except that in one case the tram stop of the destination noted in the app was not found on the ticket box choice list. I note that the boxes at train stations do have a language option and/or a ticket window. So the app is absolutely indispensable, but you’re prevented from taking advantage of the in app purchase power if you don’t have the right credit card.

For our first trip to Switzerland, we are relying exclusively on public transit. This app has been our essential companion. We have used it to travel on inter-city trains and local buses, and it provides all the information we need in a simple format that is easy to understand. It even provides walking directions to, from, and between stops. It also covers ferries on the lakes and lifts in the mountains, though I haven’t needed it for those means of travel yet. I’ve used different public transit apps in different parts of Europe and the U.S., and SBB Mobile puts them all to shame.