Can I use EasyRide if I don't have a SwissPass card?

Xeejoiphie76

I’ve set up a SwissPass login to use the SBB App. I want to use EasyRide during an upcoming holiday in Switzerland. Do I need to have a SwissPass card or can I use the SBB App for EasyRide without having one?

RolandP

Hello Xeejoiphie76

Welcome to the SBB Community.

YES, you can use EasyRide without a SwissPass card; you simply have to carry your physical passport whenever you are using e-tickets and check-in tickets. However, I do not recommend EasyRide for tourists. It is the most expensive way of travel on Swiss public transit services especially if you do not have the Swiss Half Fare Card in addition. EasyRide does not have limit when using it at full fare; consequently, it charges you all the tickets at full fare without taking into account any possible cheaper offers.

From my point of you, you should look at tourist offers first, such as the Swiss Travel Pass, or regional passes (Tell Pass, Berner Oberland Pass), or the Saver Day Pass. It is worth to price out all your trips to deciede on the best tickets. If you will spend more than 240 CHF on full fare tickets, definitely get the Swiss Half Fare Card.

Kindly bear in mind, it is part of the Swiss culture to greet before approaching a local for asking a question.

Kind regards,
Roland

Xeejoiphie76

Hi Roland

Thank you for your clear and helpful response. This is the first time that I have used a chatroom and I am very pleased to have had such assistance. I am only doing a number of relatively short trips by train during my 10 day stay in Switzerland and have already identified that none of the passes available will save me any money. It is a shame that the EasyRide option does not work out as the cheapest option as it would make things much easier. The SBB publicity on its website doers suggest that EasyRide will identify and charge the cheapest option for each trip - much as the system across London, but evidently from what you say this is not actually correct.
Kind regards

RedBaron

Xeejoiphie76
The reality is actually more complicated than that.
EasyRide will always charge the cheapest combination of regular single tickets which can be charged retrospectively at all, and its algorithm is really good at it. But this is only possible with shorter trips around populated areas within or between adjacent local fare networks, or also if one destination is located near the border of such a local network.
However with longer trips and/or into less populated areas without local fare networks, there is no cheaper option available retrospectively than the regular point-to-point ticket. So here you’re gaining nothing with EasyRide, excepted a drained mobile phone battery.

The (usually) cheaper passes or saver offers Roland referred to above have to be purchased in advance, they can not be charged retrospectively by the EasyRide algorithm.

Bottom line: EasyRide is great with shorter joruneys as long as you remain within or near local fare networks, e.g. exploring Zurich and its surroundings.
But it’s useless if heading to less populated areas or on longer trips, e.g. already useless between Zurich and Bern.