Background, People, News
The 2.5 kilo timetable
When the new timetable year begins on 14 December 2025, many travellers will simply see an updated connection in their app. It’s been a long journey to get where we are now. In the past, those planning a trip had to flick through timetables with thousands of pages, which could weigh up to 2.5 kilos. In the PTT archive in Köniz in the canton of Bern, we investigated when it all began – and came across the timetable for the very first Postbus route in Switzerland.
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In Europe, the timetable year does not begin on 1 January, but on the second Sunday in December. Why that day? Even transport historians are puzzled, as sources tend to cryptically refer to “operational reasons”. Our own interpretation is that the date had probably become established so that the logistically complex changeover was already in effect at the beginning of the new year. Implementing the switch during the festive period would have been difficult due to the large number of staff absences.
All public transport routes displayed on a poster
This year, the new timetable begins on 14 December. The timetable app updates passengers on the new connections in a matter of seconds. But what happened back when the first PostBus timetable was issued? To find out, we caught up with historian Jonas Veress in the PTT archive. In the basement of a simple office building located in Köniz in the canton of Bern, you can find all of Switzerland’s printed timetables lined up on high metal shelves or in large cupboards.
The first timetable for a motorized Postbus dates back to 1906: a sheet of paper the size of a poster displays all of Switzerland’s public transport routes at the time. The journey times for the individual connections are indicated on the fine lines. One route, from Bern to Dettligen, is marked with a tiny bus symbol, representing the first Postbus route. Using white gloves to protect the paper, the historian reaches into the rack and brings out an even older timetable: the first printed Swiss Post timetable from 1892, which includes the entire range of mail coaches.
Not for your bag
In 1905, SBB published the first “officlal timetable” in cooperation with the postal services directorate. As the number of public transport services increased, so too did the number of pages. The timetable was initially published four times a year, but as of 1920 it was published twice – once in summer and once in winter. This changed again in 1987 when there was only one edition per year, with timetables changing in May. It’s only since 2002 that the timetable change has taken place in December and been coordinated across Europe, simplifying travel planning across borders.
In its last issue in 2017, the printed timetables comprised three thick volumes that – unlike smartphones – you couldn’t carry in your bag on your journey: they had 6,000 pages and weighed 2.5 kilos. Instead, travellers noted down their connections on a piece of paper before their journey. Demand for the printed timetable used to be half a million copies, but this had recently fallen to just 25,000. Since the turn of the millennium, passengers have been able to consult the timetable online thanks to the introduction of the SBB website. Another era began in 2008 with the launch of the SBB app. In addition to journey times, it also provides users with information on disruptions, tickets and accessibility. Two million passengers access it every day.
Join Jonas Veress in the PTT archive:
