Bern and Obwalden reject funding for Magic Pass travel pilot

Bern and Obwalden have refused to help fund a pilot scheme offering Magic Pass holders free public transport to ski resorts, SRF reported. The cantons of Vaud and Valais have pledged a total of 430,000 francs for the project this season.

The scheme is intended to encourage skiers to travel without a car. Pass holders would be able to make five free public-transport trips from home to a ski resort during the coming season.

Bern and Obwalden said legal restrictions and the risk of unfairly favouring some tourism destinations over others underpinned their decisions. Bern said some destinations in the canton take part in two competing nationwide passes, while Obwalden said support would have to treat tourism operators equally. Engelberg and several cable-car companies in the Sarneraatal are not Magic Pass partners.

Magic Pass director Sébastien Travelletti said the project was not at risk, but warned that partner resorts in the two cantons might have to cover the funding shortfall themselves. He said the company and mountain railways were investing heavily to improve public-transport access to the mountains, and that cantons and municipalities should also contribute.

Magic Pass offers access to about 100 ski resorts. After selling 60 per cent more passes last year than the year before, its organisers hope the new travel offer will lead customers to make 100,000 ski-day trips by public transport next winter, equivalent to 2 per cent of all ski days.