Bern Welcome App and Bern Ticket

The Bern Ticket is not valid for dogs. All dogs need a half-price ticket for 2nd class. Exceptions are dogs up to 30 centimetres long in transport boxes, baskets or other animal-friendly containers. These may be carried under the seat like hand luggage free of charge. As soon as the dogs are no longer in the container, they require their own ticket.

Tickets are available online, in the app or at the SBB ticket counter. Tickets for zones 100 and 101 can also be purchased at the tourist information centre at the station.

Children under the age of 6 do not need a Bern Ticket; throughout Switzerland, public transportation is free for children under the age of 6.

This demand was made by the Libero fare association. The reason for this is the history of incorrectly filled out cardboard tickets and the associated increase in security requirements for Bern Tickets. The two nights (max. 48 hours) are a further security level to prevent longer-term physical BernTickets from being issued incorrectly or even deliberately manipulated without traceability.

Depending on the size of the establishment, it makes sense to programme a direct interface with the tool. However, smaller hotels, such as the Hotel Waldhorn, have set up a simple CSV export function, which only exports the booking numbers and names of the guests. The remaining information is entered manually. Such an “export function” is relatively easy to implement. We are also happy to assist with the implementation and set-up with the software partner.

The digital solution is particularly suitable for larger groups. It works by creating several ticket codes in the backend in one go, which can then be sent to the customer. The group name, booking number and length of stay are sufficient. The guest then enters the name themselves in the app. If the ticket is to be handed over on site and the guest does not have an app, an individual “special ticket” must be generated manually. Unfortunately, we are not authorised to make the printable ticket “mass-capable”.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to waive the Bern Ticket with a price reduction on the visitor’s tax.

The software used is the browser-based ticketing CMS that has been available for several years. The system was expanded with the corresponding function for physical tickets.

Yes, data protection is guaranteed. The data is stored in encrypted form in our backend so that we cannot draw any personal conclusions about individual guests. The import file is deleted from the server as soon as the tickets have been successfully generated.

This means that neither the agency nor we as Bern Welcome have access to the guest data. The data is only accessible via the login of the corresponding host.

Every accommodation establishment in the relevant zones 100/101 receives digital access to the Bern Welcome ticketing CMS. This is organised by Bern Welcome. If you have not yet received access, please contact online@bern.com.

Each establishment is basically free to decide which booking number is stored in the Ticketing CMS. The guest can either activate the ticket via the app using the booking/OTA number specified by the establishment or via the code generated by the CMS.

The cleanest handling is when any booking/OTA numbers are taken from Booking.com or Airbnb and also used for our CMS.

The activation code is generated via the Ticketing CMS. All you need for this is your own booking number or an OTA number which you enter in the Ticketing CMS. As soon as you generate the ticket, a separate activation code is created for the respective ticket, which can then be entered by the guest in the Bern App.

It is best to create a template for a so-called “prestay mail” which you send to your guests in advance, including the specified booking number or the generated activation code.

If you need assistance with this, please contact Thomas Kübli, Director Fassbindhotels: thomas.kuebli@fhotels.ch.