How many minutes after departure time is it acceptable to buy a ticket?

lorqrz

I went through a situation with my husband on the way back from the airport and I was in doubt. he told me that we had 1 minute to get on the train (we were in front of the descent stairs) and instead of just getting off, seeing if it was possible to get on the train and buy the ticket, he simply made me wait another 15 minutes standing because claimed that we would face a fine. Now I can’t believe that a public transport system, designed to make citizens’ lives easier, has such a rigid system of timetables and penalties. It would be absurd, right? The train even stopped for much longer than 1 minute.

RolandP

Hello lorqrz

It is straight forward:
The ticket has to be purchased before you get on the public transport service and has to be effectively valid at the moment of the train / bus / tramway departure.

Any e-ticket purchased (or check-in made) after departure is considered invalid, this to be in line with people who purchase the ticket timely at the counter or at the ticketing machine. The rules are also stated in the GTC’s, which you accepted when you downloaded the ticketing app, such as the SBB Mobile app.

More on purchasing e-tickets, see here:
https://www.sbb.ch/en/help-and-contact/products-services/apps/sbb-mobile-sbb-preview/sbb-mobile-app.html#anchor3

Kind regards,
Roland

lorqrz

RolandP thank you. In the case I just presented, the train was supposed to leave min 21, we were in front of the door, people were holding the door coming in with luggage, my question is, I could easily buy the ticket before stepping the door, and it would be min 22 anyway. Do they have a system where they’d know I bought before getting in the train, or I’d still have to wait for the next one? I’ll read the link anyway, thanks.

RedBaron

The answer is zero minutes.

Because if some “grace period” (as you seem to be expecting) would be allowed, then on short journeys with rarely occuring ticket controls (e.g. ZRH Airport - HB, even on IC trains), dishonest passengers could start to abuse the system the following way:
Boarding the train without a valid ticket, however having their mobile phone prepared and ready to buy the necessary ticket with just one finger tap, but actually buying it only if they notice a ticket control going on.

lorqrz

RedBaron I understand, and in my situation I could have easily held the door and bought the ticket before boarding. But my husband didn’t want to do it because the departure was min21 and we were in min22 and I thought that this situation is absurd. So my question is: if I buy and enter, do they know the exact minutes? Because I would like to enter a train when I need it and it’s right in front of me without any fears or concerns.

Krist

Because the system is designed to make life easier for the citizens there is no need to wait till the last moment to buy a train ticket. And there are multiple ways to buy tickets. Be happy to be in a country where the system so easy to use. If we would make a ranking on how easy to use a public transit system is the Swiss one would be at the top.

lorqrz

Krist I wasn’t there until the last moment, I was tired and it felt like an absurd situation to have to wait for another train because 1 minute had passed from departure, although the train was still in front of me and I could easily purchase the ticket and go in. I think the real question is: do they know the exact time their train departures? I’d love to tell my husband he doesn’t have to be afraid again of entering a train in that situation.

RolandP

Hello lorqrz

Yes, the time of purchase as well as the train’s departure time are both known to the ticket inspector’s control device, and therefore your ticket is marked as invalid when being checked later. @RedBaron correctly explained to you why.

Also, holding the door while purchasing the ticket is not recommended; there are examples in the past where passengers were brought to court and fined with a hefty fine by the authorities as holding the door is considered an official offence, known as “impeding the public transport”.

Next time, simply take the next train. There is a train to Zurich main station literally every 10 minutes. Or, purchase your ticket earlier as memtioned by @Krist; long-distance tickets are valid for the entire day, you could purchase it even the day before.

Kind regards,
Roland

lorqrz

RolandP holding the train door was a bad figure of speech, I had time to buy before the real departure time. Also, I was exhausted from an early flight and didn’t feel at all like wasting 10 min of my life because of a company’s profits/minutes concern.
Reading the link you sent me I found this: “Until what time can I buy tickets with SBB Mobile? Up to the beginning of the journey or just before the train departs.” I guess my simple question is this: can I buy a delayed train’s ticket if the app tells me the journey already begun (buy tickets valid immediately) or am I gonna have trouble (even if the train was still there)?

Krist

can I buy a delayed train’s ticket if the app tells me the journey already begun

There is no such thing as a train ticket. You do not buy a ticket for the 11:31 S16 to Zurich Main Station. You buy a 3 zone ticket good for all public transit. This allows even to continue by tram and bus after you arrive at HB, how is that for being userfriendly.

I usually buy my train ticket while I am waiting for my luggage to appear on the conveyor.

The whole system is based on the honour system. That is why there are no gates. Imagine you were in Paris, and had to queue up at a ticket machine first, then squeeze yourself through a gate. In Switzerland you just walk down to the platform, and on the train, unimpeded. But this system only works if indeed some rules are stricktly enforced.

Whiennauwai55

I think it is just crazy to get a fine for having bought the ticket 1 minute after departure (clearly not trying to cheat on anyone, since there was no sign of controllers around). CFF does not lose any money if you allow flexibility instead of enforcing very weird rules.

RedBaron

Whiennauwai55
Airlines do have even weirder rules… you’re supposed to have a valid ticket even before BOARDING, so even less flexibility. Incredible, ain’t it?

Krist

Whiennauwai55 I think it is just crazy to get a fine for having bought the ticket 1 minute after departure (clearly not trying to cheat on anyone, since there was no sign of controllers around). CFF does not lose any money if you allow flexibility instead of enforcing very weird rules.

In many public transit systems you are not even permitted to enter the platform until after you have bought a ticket. In Switzerland we permit you to buy a ticket up to the moment of travel. That is a weird rule, but it is to the benefit of the passenger really.