Train delays: compensation and your passenger rights
How much you get back when a train, bus or boat in Switzerland arrives an hour or more late, how to claim, and what happens if you miss the last connection. Tickets and travelcards themselves are covered on Half-Fare and SwissPass for students and Getting around.
Key facts
- More than 60 minutes late at your destination: at least 25% of the price you paid. More than 120 minutes: at least 50% (OTV art. 61; SBB; FOT/OFT). Nothing is due if you were told about the delay before you bought the ticket (OTV art. 61 para. 5).
- Minimum: amounts under CHF 5 are not paid; the law lets companies set this floor at no more than CHF 5 (OTV art. 61 para. 4; SBB; FOT/OFT).
- Claim online within 30 days of the trip; SBB travel centres cannot pay compensation (SBB; Alliance SwissPass).
- GA and other travelcards valid at least one week: the daily value of the travelcard for a delay of 60 minutes or more, at least CHF 5, up to 10% of the travelcard value over its validity (Alliance SwissPass).
- The Half-Fare travelcard itself gives no compensation, but tickets bought with it do, based on the price you actually paid (Alliance SwissPass; FOT/OFT).
1. How much
| Your ticket | Delay at destination | Compensation |
|---|---|---|
| Single ticket or day pass, incl. tickets bought with Half-Fare | more than 60 min | 25% of the price paid |
| Single ticket or day pass | more than 120 min | 50% of the price paid |
| GA, route or zone travelcard (at least one week) | more than 60 min | daily value of the travelcard (e.g. annual price divided by 365), minimum CHF 5, max 10% of the travelcard value in total |
| Half-Fare card, Junior card, Children's co-travel card (carte Enfant accompagné) | any | no compensation for the card itself |
- The delay counts at the destination of the whole journey, including connections (Alliance SwissPass).
- Because of the CHF 5 minimum, a ticket must cost at least CHF 20 for a 60-minute delay and CHF 10 for a 120-minute delay to get anything (FOT/OFT).
- Force majeure (landslide, rockfall, people on the track) does not cancel your right to compensation (FOT/OFT).
- Compensation applies to trains, buses and trams across Swiss public transport. For boats and cable cars the law excludes a claim for compensation (OTV art. 61 para. 6); the duty to inform you and offer help during a long delay still applies (OTV art. 61a).
2. How to claim
- Fill in the online passenger-rights form linked from SBB's delay page. It works for all Swiss transport companies; SBB handles claims for the whole sector (Alliance SwissPass).
- Claim within 30 days of the trip (SBB; Alliance SwissPass).
- Paper option: the form is also available at travel centres and can be sent by post to CFF SA, Contact Center CFF, Droits des passagers, Case postale 176, 3900 Brigue (FOT/OFT; Alliance SwissPass).
- Payment is usually made within 30 days of your claim, to your bank or postal account (FOT/OFT; Alliance SwissPass).
- Travelcard holders have no ticket for a precise trip, so a credible explanation of the delay is enough (Alliance SwissPass).
- Refused? Reply to the refusal email within 30 days, describing the situation more precisely and keeping the email subject unchanged (Alliance SwissPass).
3. Missed connections, cancelled trips and overnight stays
- Before departure: if the trip no longer makes sense because of a delay or cancellation, you can cancel and get the ticket price refunded (SBB; FOT/OFT).
- During the trip: you can stop, travel back free of charge with the next suitable connection and get the ticket price refunded (SBB).
- Missed connection: SBB must get you to the final destination on your ticket the same day, even with extra changes or a detour (SBB).
- Last connection missed: you are entitled to a mid-range hotel (in principle the cheapest room in a three-star or three-star superior hotel), breakfast included, plus transport between station and hotel, or a taxi if that makes more sense. Ask train staff or station staff; they can give you a voucher (SBB). The FOT/OFT confirms that suitable overnight accommodation must be organised if needed. Alliance SwissPass adds that it is provided free if the delay is not caused by force majeure.
- Drinks and meals: for delays over 60 minutes, drinks, and a meal for a longer wait, if available on board or in the station (FOT/OFT).
- Not covered: consequential losses, such as a missed flight, concert, exam or work (SBB; Alliance SwissPass).
- International tickets follow different rules (for example TGV Lyria from 30 minutes, claims up to 90 days): see the SBB page.
4. When did these rules start?
The legal rules on delays (refund, compensation, assistance) have applied since 1 January 2021 (LTV art. 21 to 21d; OTV art. 61 and 61a). The current federal texts show no later change to these articles, and the FOT/OFT also dates the alignment with EU rules to 1 January 2021.
Fare-dodging fines and ticket checks are a separate topic: see Fines and tickets in Vaud.