Press releases, News
Passengers are back on Postbuses
The upward trend in passenger numbers continued in 2022: PostBus transported over 156 million passengers in Switzerland and covered around 134 million kilometres in the process. This 15.5% increase compared with 2021 means the frequency of use has now returned to pre-pandemic levels.
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With the complete lifting of coronavirus restrictions, passengers were back on Postbuses last year in every region in Switzerland: demand virtually recovered with 156 million passengers, and numbers were at pre-pandemic levels at the end of 2022. This means the current all-time record set in 2019 of over 167 million passengers is within touching distance once again. As an essential pillar of public transport, PostBus connects urban and rural areas alike, and ultimately the whole of Switzerland.
2,279 Postbuses covered a total of 133.7 million kilometres on scheduled services across Switzerland (previous year: 132 million kilometres). Over the course of 365 days, they travelled on 911 routes across the total network length of 18,191 kilometres and 11,268 stops. The average age of the PostBus fleet is 6.5 years. Over 60 vehicles with electric or diesel hybrid drive systems are now on the roads.
As of 31 December 2022, PostBus Ltd employed 3,141 members of staff (previous year: 3,023), whose levels of employment equated to 2,673 full-time positions (previous year: 2,578). Our passengers are very satisfied with the overall service PostBus provides: in the customer satisfaction index, they gave it a very good score of 80 points.
Investments in sustainable mobility
PostBus is proud to have implemented numerous exciting, innovative projects last year, in addition to the main service it provides on behalf of the Confederation, and electromobility is playing an ever-greater role. Swiss Post and PostBus have set themselves the target of systematically investing in sustainable mobility and significantly reducing CO2 emissions in the coming years.
The very first electric Postbus in Western Switzerland has in fact been operating a scheduled service in Delémont since June 2022. This modern vehicle runs in the city center, and not only contributes to reducing CO2 emissions and harmful air pollutants, it is also much quieter for the passengers, residents and drivers alike.
PostBus has been given the green light in the Canton of Graubünden, and can now switch some of the public buses over to alternative drive systems in the Bündner Herrschaft region, with Repower as its partner. From the first quarter of 2023, only electric Postbuses will be used on four routes. To achieve this, eleven new vehicles of varying sizes have been procured.
Robi the luggage robot was on the road in the car-free holiday village of Saas-Fee for four months, transporting the luggage of guests and locals. The project was a resounding success – both on a technical level and how it was received by the public.
A major Swiss Post presence at large events: ultimately, the summer of 2022 wasn’t just a summer of superlatives because of the weather. Whether at ESAF, the Swiss Wrestling and Alpine Festival in Pratteln, Switzerland’s largest periodic sporting event, or at BuLA, the Scouts’ National Jamboree in Goms: in 2022, PostBus was a reliable transport partner for numerous major events.