Bern and Bellinzona, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Train passengers without tickets or sitting in first class when they have only second class tickets will be treated alike by Switzerland’s CFF rail company, following a decision by a Swiss court: subject to CHF80 fines plus the missing fare or the difference between classes. Travelers should be aware that the fines are collected on the spot and that tickets must be purchased before getting on a train.

The Swiss administrative high court ruled Wednesday 23 December in favour of the CFF rail company, which had appealed against a decision of the Swiss Transport Office.

The Transport Office in November backed a woman who paid the difference plus a fine after she sat in first class with a second class ticket. The office said a distinction should be made between people who travel without valid tickets and those who travel in the wrong class. The federal high court over-ruled this, saying that passengers who have not paid in full should all be treated alike.