The new 12,200 franc Swiss Rail pass

From the beginning of next year, Swiss Rail will test a new CHF 12,200 annual pass.

Called Green Class, the pass includes unlimited first class train travel, unlimited use of Swiss Rail city bikes, Mobility Car sharing (2,900 cars) and an electric BMW car, which comes with a station car park and a charge point at home.

The company is looking for volunteers, who will need to sign up and have their movements tracked over the course of 2017. Sign up is required by the middle of November 2016. The first payment of CHF 4,400 must be made before the end of this year, and further monthly payments of CHF 650 per throughout next year.

Promotional videos show the package in action. Here is Jorge in French:

…and Dimitri in German:

Swiss Rail is looking for 100 testers.

A first class AG pass costs CHF 5,970, so at around double the price you would need to be spending a lot on bikes, cars and parking to break even. If replacing your existing car with the Swiss Rail BMW, saved CHF 6,280 in insurance, registration, fuel and depreciation, then you could make the numbers work. In addition, if it meant you took the train and used pedal power more often, you could be sure of boosting your eco credentials. And. if the incremental electricity used to power the car was produced cleanly, the eco boost would be even greater.

As an alternative, you could buy your own second hand BMW 3i, buy a 2nd class AG, rent carparks and buy a formerly-owned fold up bike.

A second hand BMW 3i would cost around CHF 30,000 (AutoScout 24).  If you kept in for ten years and its price fell to CHF 10,000, then the annual depreciation cost would be CHF 2,000. Add to this CHF 130 of road tax (in the canton of Vaud), insurance of around CHF 300, the cost of a second hand Brompton fold up bike – CHF 100 per year (CHF 1,000 to buy depreciated over 10 years), overall repairs and maintenance of CHF 1,000, and the total, with a 2nd class AG pass (CHF 3,655), would come to between CHF 7,935 and CHF 11,185, depending on how much your local Swiss Rail park and ride car parks cost¹. If the 2nd class AG pass is swapped for a 1st class one, then the price ranges from CHF 10,250 to CHF 13,500.

Moving is costly. Perhaps the most eco friendly and low cost package is something Swiss Rail doesn’t offer: working from home.

¹CHF 750 to CHF 4,000 - CHF 3 to 16 depending on location. Based on 250 days a years – 250 x CHF 3 = CHF 750, 250 x CHF 16 = 4,000

More on this:
The deal in detail (in French) - Take a 5 minute French test now
The deal in detail (in German)

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