Children in Vaud learning to swim in mobile pool inside a lorry

In Villeneuve, a town in Canton Vaud, schoolchildren have been learning to swim in a mobile swimming pool due to limited availability at public pools.

200 children learn to swim in a mobile swimming pool in Vaud

Schoolchildren in Vielleneuve, Canton Vaud, have been learning to swim in an eight-metre mobile swimming pool. The pool is located inside a lorry that parks outside their school. 

The mobile pool is heated up to 30 degrees celsius and has an adjustable floor that can move up and down to change the pool’s depth, accommodating children of different ages and swimming abilities. 200 children are learning to swim in the pool, which only has capacity for six students at a time.

Jean-François Buisson, inventor of the mobile swimming pool, said to RTS that he wants to "enable children to learn how to save their lives”, recognising that not everyone has access to a public swimming pool. The mobile pool “can be located anywhere”, which means that children can visit every day and learn to swim faster, claims Buisson. 

Swiss towns could benefit from using the mobile pool

Swimming lessons are mandatory in most schools in Switzerland. Despite this, 13 percent of schoolchildren across the country are unable to receive swimming lessons due to limited access to public pools, SRF reported in 2024. The problem is worse in remote towns, which may not have a local swimming pool or access to one nearby.

The Swiss Lifesaving Society (SLRG) has suggested using lakes as an alternative place to teach lessons. In the meantime, Jean-Marc Chavannes, a local councillor in Vaud, has suggested that local councils share the 700.000 Swiss franc cost of running the mobile swimming pool.