Hustling to the airport this morning and bought the usual fare. All good until the ticket controller pointed out that I was on the 8:18 S2 and not the 8:48 S2. Same price, same ticket, wrong time, my mistake. I didn't want to argue on the packed train. So, he issued a 100CHF fine and said I had a warning on my account for 2 years. The ticket price was identical, and a genuine error.

Anyone have any luck appealing these fines?

Yes, if you call the hotline, you might get it reduced to 30chf. the strike stays though

https://www.englishforum.ch/422169-post40.html

For the future, : Fairtiq is great, no problems with the time, you just activate before you get on. It will even work out your cheapest ticket if you take several rides during the day.

Painful !

there was another thread on this, sorry to hear your news. personally I think its a scandal.

Fairtiq is great, but you need location access enabled and a mobile network connection for it to allow you to start your journey. Not always trivial at a crowded train station or with poor mobile reception (mountain trains!), possibly indoors (although wifi should help with the location).

It happened to me already that I was simply not able to start my journey for at least 5 minutes - tried everything, restarted the app N times, restarted the mobile data connection, even restarted the phone. Then the train came, and I decided to board it. Only managed to activate the journey at the next stop (btw it was in the same zone, so exact same price in the end).

I also regularly forget to stop the journey, but that is simply user error, and only sometimes results in a few francs extra charge... which I deserve

If you fail to stop it, there's an option where you can challenge the fare in the history of tickets. Of course if you stay on the train it won't work, but walking away they seem to be able to see that you've done that (slower speed for x seconds probably) . Also if you go from train to car and forget, it only charges you to where you travelled on the train.

It's getting quite clever.

Buying a ticket but making a mistake shouldn't have such a hefty punishment. It's not the same as not buying a ticket at all. I would fight it. Like the SBB is perfect? They screw up too.

The CFF’s easyride uses fairtiq software. It almost always gives the same fare as Fairtiq.

I’ve noticed that on a journey by train to Geneva then a bus trip in Geneva the CFF breaks the journey and charges you for each segment. Fairtiq will charge you the ‘City Ticket’ price.

There isn’t much difference but it’s the principle.

I'd say the ticket inspector was a sad jobs-worth.

Others are much more friendly and let you off when it's an obvious mistake and it's clear that there is no financial loss to SBB.

why was the ticket timed? isn't it possible to buy a ticket without a time on it?

It is most likely going to be more expensive, because it is more flexible. Hugely annoying when your friend or relative who comes to visit you wants to catch a train from the airport: you want to buy a ticket for them, but can't know in advance if their flight will be late, how much time it will take to get the luggage, etc. And obviously they will not have the SBB app or Fairtiq installed...

Unfortunately, for the tickets within the ZH/ZG area, it is (multi-)zone tickets which have a time limit (from - to). SBB app automatically issues the ticket with a start time based on the connection you select and the ticket validity ... i.e., 2 hrs or so)

This is the distinction (or lack of it) between "Schwarzahrer" and "Graufahrer".
A Scharzfahrer has no ticket. A Graufahrer may have some, possibly minor, irregularities with the ticket.

There is this (paywall) https://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/auch-gr...t-681431619098


If you feel hard done by you can complain to :

1. To the transport company

2. To the Ombudsman: die Ombudsstelle öffentlicher Verkehr

3. Preisüberwacher

I don't have an abo to the TA. What does the article say?

No, they always have a time on them (unless they're one of the ones that have to be stamped, in which case they're not valid until that is done).

I don't think you can directly buy a point-to-point ticket in the app without selecting an actual set of trains; you can buy one for "now" by scrolling back and selecting a departed train, then it prompts you if you want to buy a ticket valid from now instead.

That must be something new. I had to wait ~30min for a next train because the SBB app didn't let me buy a ticket for a delayed train which I was able to board if I had a ticket

Here is the thing, the checkers have no idea who is genuine and who is not. And a ticket for a later trip can be refunded or changed so as far as they are concerned you might have been chancing your luck.

Give them a call and see what happens.

Yep, tough. But the same in the UK. Some train tickets are sold cheaper for specific trains, and specific times- to avoid congestion. And some are sold as special offers from specific locations to specific destinations. If you go on different train, or come off train before said destination- you get heavily fined.

What is weird in this case, is that the ticket was same price, so not cheap offer. So must do with specific time, to avoid commuter trains.

I feel your frustration.

Whatever it is, you need a line in the sand so responsible decisions can be made backed up by facts by people who are not necessarily qualified to make arbitrary decisions.


Without this process, it all sinks back to African levels of corruption and despite what anybody may tell you corruption on all levels is rife.


Switzerland included.