swissconnect wins tender for sustainable transport of SBB travel luggage

Swissconnect AG wins the SBB tender for the sustainable transport of travel luggage. In the future, travel luggage will be picked up and delivered by bicycle courier in the eight largest Swiss cities – luggage will thus arrive at its destination significantly faster.

(Lucerne) No more lugging around luggage and skis. SBB, swissconnect, and local bicycle couriers are making life easier for travelers. Starting December 1, 2020, suitcases, bags, and sports equipment will be picked up and delivered at home by professional bicycle couriers in the eight largest Swiss cities. So, those traveling by public transport to their holidays will not only be comfortable and environmentally friendly but will also no longer have to worry about their luggage.

Why SBB chose swissconnect can be found in the interview with Ben Hochreutener, Head of Road Sales at swissconnect:

Winter is around the corner. Can a bicycle courier transport my entire ski equipment?

Ben Hochreutener, Head of Road Sales at swissconnect

Yes, absolutely. The professional bicycle couriers are well-equipped and use cargo bikes as well as special trailers. This way, even larger shipments can be transported safely. In the cities, bicycle couriers are unbeatable and can reach their destination faster than cars, even on snowy roads.

How does the luggage transport work?

Those traveling by public transport can book luggage transport online with SBB. If the pickup address is in one of the eight largest Swiss cities, a bicycle courier from the local partner company of swissconnect (Veloblitz Zurich, Vélopostale Geneva, Kurierzentrale Basel, Vélocité Lausanne, Velokurier Bern, Velokurier Winterthur, Velokurier Lucerne, or Velokurier St. Gallen) will pick up the luggage at the traveler’s home and bring it to the train station. The luggage is then transported directly to its destination and waits there for its owner. The return transport follows the same procedure – thus, the hassle of lugging around suitcases is completely eliminated for travelers.

How does the pickup or delivery of SBB travel luggage work outside the largest eight cities?

SBB offers luggage transport throughout Switzerland. Outside the cities, luggage is picked up or delivered using conventional vehicles and is not handled by swissconnect. We have focused on city logistics and provide the most sustainable transport solution for this.

SBB chose swissconnect to carry out these extraordinary transports. Why?

In the public tender, the individual award criteria were clearly defined. In addition to price and a high-quality overall concept, SBB was looking for a reliable partner who could cover all Swiss cities. SBB placed special emphasis on IT competence and sustainability – these are two major strengths of swissconnect AG. On the one hand, we offer a fully digital solution with interface connection through our unique logistics software and the associated courier app. On the other hand, we have consistently focused on sustainable logistics solutions since the company was founded over 20 years ago and clearly rely on professional bicycle couriers in the cities.

It was clearly stated in the tender documents that a maximum of 5% of the orders may be transported using diesel or gasoline vehicles. It is commendable that a company like SBB goes this far regarding “sustainability in transport.” We welcome this very much and hope that this clear and high requirement will serve as a model for further projects in urban logistics.

Can the offer be extended to other cities?

Yes, that is certainly possible. In the 23 largest Swiss cities, we offer sustainable solutions in urban logistics and are present with a local bicycle courier partner. All our 80 partner companies work on the same logistics software – the developed solution can therefore be easily scaled.

www.swissconnect.ch    www.sbb.ch

Photo: © swissconnect