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On board the double-decker Postbus to Iseltwald
Since 1 June 2023, Interlaken and the Netflix tourist hotspot of Iseltwald have been connected by a double-decker Postbus. This express route is proving successful. We filmed driver Simon Frutiger on his first journey.
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First journey in a double-decker Postbus in Iseltwald
Passengers in Interlaken have recently been able to transfer from a double-decker train to a double-decker Postbus. As of 1 June 2023, PostBus is using this vehicle – which offers space for up to 120 passengers – on a new express route that travels directly to Iseltwald. The double-decker bus transports tourists and local residents ten times a day to the now world-famous village on a journey that takes just 17 minutes via the motorway. Along with the single-decker Postbuses, there is now a total of 31 services per day, and as many as 34 on weekends. On peak days, up to 2,000 passengers commute between Interlaken Ost and Iseltwald, Dorfplatz on the Postbus.
Since coronavirus travel restrictions were lifted in 2022, Iseltwald has become a magnet for fans of the 16-part South Korean Netflix series “Crash Landing on You”, which features key scenes filmed on the village’s jetty in August 2019.
For commuters, too
The double-decker Postbus, which was produced in the UK in 2017, is normally seen out and about in Eastern Switzerland. But it’s proving well suited to the Bernese Oberland, too. The additional space helps ensure that all passengers who want to travel to the tourist hotspot on public transport can do so, helping to ease the strain on traffic in Iseltwald. It also makes life easier for local commuters, who benefit from more services.
Additional drivers on the route
PostBus services on route 103 to Iseltwald have been expanded significantly and repeatedly since summer 2022, which means that more drivers are also required. Simon Frutiger is one of them. He usually works on other routes in the region, including PostBus’s steepest route on the Griesalp. It didn’t take him long to warm to the double-decker Postbus. “The journey to Iseltwald via the motorway is definitely easier than the steep, tight bends on the Griesalp,” Simon explains.
Although he hails from the Bernese Oberland, he has never been to the jetty in Iseltwald – but he’ll have plenty of opportunities to make up for that during one of his breaks. As the boom in Iseltwald is expected to last for some time, the double-decker will stay in use for the foreseeable future.
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