When can I take my bike with me on the train for free?

Can I put my bike on the train? Or do you need tickets for that?
T Roniger, St. gallen

Bicycles can be transported on the train free of charge if the bike can be folded or transported in a special carrying bag “Tranzbag”. In all other cases, a ticket for the bike must be purchased. This can be done online, at the ticket machine or via the SBB app. There are road tickets for half the personal price, day tickets for 14 francs and Velo-GA for 240 francs per year.

As of the tariff change on December 11, bicycle tickets can be purchased online and from ticket machines in the same period as passenger tickets; the system then recommends the cheapest option based on the route. However, the revised SBB app, in which this functionality will also be integrated, will not be available until the 2023 cycling season. Bicycles for children up to 16 years old can be installed for free, provided they are traveling with or without an adult. a bicycle.

Reservation partially mandatory

A reservation fee may apply in addition to the bike ticket. Reservation is required in the domestic sections of international trains. In fact, reservations are required on all IC trains on weekends during the summer months. Reservations are not required on regional and interregional trains all year round. The electronic timetable indicates whether bikes can be loaded onto a train and whether reservations are required.

Alternatively, the bike can be delivered as luggage and delivered from home or at the train station to a destination in Switzerland. However, this is associated with significant costs. For a regular bike, travelers pay a flat-rate shipping fee of 43 francs plus 20 francs for the bike.