New Swiss app Pendlo tracks ticket inspectors on trains

A couple from Aargau have developed a new app, Pendlo, which shows residents and expats living in Switzerland where ticket inspections are currently taking place on Swiss public transport.

Travellers can report train occupancy

Pendlo lets anyone travelling by train in Switzerland report information such as whether a ticket inspector is on board, if toilets are broken and how busy the train is. The app “shows you live what’s happening on your trip,” states the Pendlo website.

The tool combines official public transport timetable data from SBB (Swiss Federal Railways) with passenger reports. Every time a passenger reports something, it is displayed on a map, including whether fellow train travellers have verified the activity. 

App developers Nico Zeller and Letizia Discher took inspiration from Freifahren, a similar app developed in Germany, reports 20 Minuten. Within weeks of launch, Pendlo had 1.590 users and quickly gained popularity after it was shared on TikTok. For now, while Zeller and Discher develop a mobile app, Pendlo is currently only available online.

Alliance SwissPass issues warning over Swiss train fines

The original purpose of the app, however, wasn’t necessarily to alert passengers to a potential ticket inspection but rather “that the ticket is already ready when the ticket inspector arrives [and] nobody has to search for it anymore.”

Alliance SwissPass, the organisation that oversees public transport tickets in Switzerland, told 20 Minuten that public transport “relies on the personal responsibility of travellers” and that everyone must have a valid train ticket.

Anyone travelling without a valid ticket will be fined. Bern cantonal police also commented that “a sound legal or police assessment is not possible at this time.”