PostBus Switzerland

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A c.1950 Saurer PostBus bus
A PostBus bus in Altstätten in 1984
A PostBus bus in St. Moritz, showing posthorn logo
A PostBus bus near Grindelwald
Sign indicating PostBus buses have priority over other vehicles

PostBus Switzerland (known as PostAuto Schweiz in Swiss Standard German, CarPostal Suisse in Swiss French, and AutoPostale Svizzera in Swiss Italian) is a subsidiary company of the Swiss Post, which provides regional and rural bus services throughout Switzerland, and also in France and Liechtenstein. In Swiss German dialect they are also called Poschi or Poschti.

The Swiss PostBus service evolved as a motorized successor to the stagecoaches that previously carried passengers and mail in Switzerland, with the Swiss postal service providing postbus services carrying both passengers and mail. Although this combination had been self-evident in the past, the needs of each diverged towards the end of the twentieth century, when the conveyance of parcels was progressively separated from public transportation. This split became official with the conversion of PostBus into a separate subsidiary of the Swiss Post in February 2005.

The buses operated by PostBus are a Swiss icon, with a distinctive yellow livery and three-tone horn. The company uses an image of a posthorn as a logo on its buses and elsewhere. On some mountain roads, indicated by a traffic sign of a yellow posthorn on a blue background, the buses have priority over other traffic.

History

  • 1849: Creation of the postal network diligence.
  • 1906: First service of PostBus between Bern and Detligen.
  • 1919: Inauguration of the line crossing the Simplon Pass.
  • 1921: Grimsel Pass, Furka Pass, San Bernardino Pass and Oberalp Pass are open to traffic.
  • 1923: A three-tone horn is installed on the buses travelling on mountain routes.
  • 1949: The bus lines of the Principality of Liechtenstein are operated by PostBus.
  • 1959: All buses are of the same yellow color.
  • 1961: Last service of horse diligence on the line Avers-Juf.
  • 2003: For the first time, PostBus carried more than 100 million passengers.
  • 2005: PostBus Switzerland established as a subsidiary company of Swiss Post

Operations

In Switzerland

Services are provided by PostBus Switzerland, a subsidiary company of Swiss Post with its headquarters in Bern. The company is responsible for 798 bus routes with 2,103 buses in Switzerland, transporting over 120 million passengers annually on its 10,363 km (6,439 mi) long network. The routes are either operated directly by PostBus itself, or by local bus companies under contract.

PostBus offers extensive services in public, public-private, and private transit, including:

  • PostAuto: Bus lines (municipal, regional, long-distance, and vacation transportation)
  • PubliCar: Dial-a-bus service for lightly traveled routes
  • ScolaCar: Small buses for student transportation
  • VivaCar: Dial-a-bus service for the handicapped
  • PostCar: Tourist travel (chartered)

Outside Switzerland

CarPostal France, a subsidiary of PostBus Switzerland, operates bus services in France. The company is headquartered in Lyon, with operations from Haguenau, in Alsace, to Béziers, in Languedoc-Roussillon. PostBus Switzerland also operates the bus service for Liechtenstein.[1][2]

Coaches

During most of the 20th Century, PostBus coaches were made in Switzerland by either Saurer, Berna or FBW.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "CarPostal France". PostBus Switzerland. Retrieved 2013-04-28. 
  2. ↑ "PostBus in Liechtenstein". PostBus Switzerland. Retrieved 2013-04-28. 

External links

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