When you board your train, you are supposed to have your ticket in hand — or on your Swiss national railways (SBB) app.

This may be taking the notion of punctuality to new heights, but one of SBB’s regulations states that a ticket is not valid if it is purchased after the departure of the train, even if by a split second.

Anyone who does this, for whatever reason, is considered a fare dodger.

This means that if you are attempting to buy a ticket while standing on a platform before your train arrives, but your app doesn’t cooperate and you receive the confirmation of purchase a few seconds after the train’s departure, you are in trouble.  

And if the controller notices the infraction, you will be slapped (though, thankfully, not literally) with a 90-franc fine which, depending on the distance you are travelling, may be much more than you actually paid for your ticket.

That is the amount for first-time offenders.

For the second and subsequent infractions, the fine increases to 130 and 160 francs, respectively.

Complaints from disgruntled commuters

If you think this practice is rare, you are mistaken.

Public transport ombudsman Hans Höhener confirmed that this problem “regularly gives rise to complaints,” according to Tribune de Genève, especially since many commuters commit this error unintentionally. 

For instance, due to poor wifi connection at a station, one passenger had difficulty purchasing his ticket via the SBB mobile app.

He finally did, but the confirmation of purchase arrived on his smartphone just as the train was leaving the station.

The controller said the ticket was not valid.

Result: a 90-franc fine.

Another case involved a pensioner who purchased the ticket a minute and a half too late which, by SBB standards, is an eternity.

Even though the man explained that he had problems accessing the SBB app on his phone while standing on the platform and could only complete the purchase while already on the train, he too was fined.

Apparently, when it comes to handing out fines, the SBB doesn’t distinguish between accidental errors and intentional fare dodging. It also is not more tolerant toward longtime customers; the man in question had been a season ticket holder for 57 years. 

“It is of course a disappointment for us to have to fine such a loyal customer, but the regulations must be applied,” SBB spokesperson said at the time.

As for the pensioner, he took the incident in his stride. He said that being considered a “fare dodger” at his age “amuses me, but only moderately.”

READ ALSO: Swiss pensioner fined 90 francs for buying train ticket one minute late

But this is not the full extent of the penalty.

People who purchased their tickets while the train is already rolling are also registered in the national register of fare dodgers, where they remain for two years.

Acting on continuing complaints from passengers about the unfairness of this system, the SwissPass Alliance and the Federal Office of Transport reviewed the rule again in May 2024.

The two reconfirmed the maintenance of the current practice, that is, the obligation to buy the ticket before the actual departure — regardless of whether the person is travelling on a train or another mode of public transport.

Too much reliance on the app

Sara Stalder, a spokesperson for the Swiss German consumer federation, pointed out that these mostly inadvertent errors in timing happen because commuters no longer have the option of purchasing their tickets at a train station or on the train itself, and must rely on the app instead.

SBB has been closing ticket counters at many stations, and has also eliminated the possibility of buying tickets directly from train conductors.

“To cut costs, we digitise as much as possible, and it’s all applied in a customer-unfriendly way,” Stalder said.