I know this may be a silly question... I'm under the impression that the Swiss bus system is just as efficient as everything else is there. What's protocol for riding the bus? Do you pay your fare as you enter in the front? Do I tell the driver where I want to get off?

Thanks for your advice to this hapless traveler...

Hi chicagobluesman,

Not silly at all!

The postbuses that I've used have been an extention of the train system, so instead of making a connection train-train, I made a connection train-bus. So in each case, my train ticket was also the bus ticket. Also in each case, the connection was easy because I simply followed the crowd off the train and onto the bus -- these connections are common commutes for most of the folks around you.

In short, buy your bus ticket at the train station.

Let me know if I can help further.

s

The buses have a regularly scheduled list of stops. If you go to the sbb.ch website and plug in two towns that are connected by bus, you can then click on the blue number of the bus, and it'll show you the complete schedule of stops. At the train station you can also pick up little booklets that contain all the local bus routes. One interesting thing -- in Locarno, there are more than one bus company operating, but you can find their booklets in the train station, too.
J. (Hi, S')

I just realized that you're the bikerider, so yes, you'll want to pick up one or two of the little bus schedule booklets in the train station. The buses are parked out front of the station, each by its own post with its proper number and route name. I used a Swiss Pass, so I didn't purchase individual tickets, but I'm sure you can buy them inside the station. --though if memory serves, there might also have been little ticket-purchase machines near the bus parking, too. Maybe someone who's been there more recently will remember. Grasshopper?

I have just a single page of a schedule booklet in front of me -- (weight is everything when I travel) -- it contains the schedules for the Valle Onsernone route and lists about 25 separate stops between Locarno Stazione and Spruga --a stop approx every three minutes, the entire route taking 1:14 with six buses each day. As I mentioned earlier, you can get a sneak preview by clicking on the bus number at the sbb.ch website. Have fun. J.

I have used the post busses in situations where their was no train service to a certain Swiss village or town. I used the post bus to connect from Brig to Saas Fee. As of this time, there is no train connection to Saas Fee, so the post system is the only way to get to Saas Fee.

In this situation, my first class Swiss rail pass got me on the bus with no additional charge.

I think you can use it other situations also, but you might have to make additional charges even though you might have a Swiss rail pass.

For instance, if you wanted to travel from Meirrigen to Grindlewald instead of making the train connection, I think you can do that, but at additional cost, even though you might have a Swiss Pass. The Swiss pass will give you a 25 percent reduction on the bus though.

In short, where there is no train service, you can ride free with a Swiss rail pass, but if there is train service to that Swiss town or village, but you just prefer to travel using the bus system, there is a charge.

The bus driver will handle the bus ticket part of your purchase, but you can also buy tickets at train stations as I recall.

We had passes, so I can't answer your question about buying tickets. When we did ride a bus, I just asked the driver to alert us when he got to the station nearest where we wanted to go, then sat near the driver. They were very accomodating, despite my lack of local language skills, and the busses were as clean and timely as the trains.