Digital Transformation for SBB

Fragmented channels, outdated technology

SBB is Switzerland's largest mobility provider, moving over one million people every day. However, its digital touchpoints – the mobile app, the web shop on sbb.ch, and ticket machines – operated independently of one another for a long time. Different technologies, fragmented user experiences, and outdated systems made it difficult for customers to switch seamlessly between channels.

The central challenge: How can the various sales channels be unified technologically and in terms of design, without disrupting ongoing operations? How can SBB bring new digital products to market more quickly while simultaneously improving accessibility for people with disabilities?

The goal: A seamless digital experience that gets customers to their destination faster, increases conversion, and reduces the burden on in-person sales.

UX expertise directly in product development

Unic brought UX expertise directly into SBB's product development. The designers worked in an integrated manner within agile Scrum teams, taking ownership of the user-centred design process — from validating initial ideas through to quality assurance during development.

The approach: not everything at once, but step by step. Since 2022, the most important services — such as timetable, web shop and profile — have been revised piece by piece. In the process, a new design system was developed collaboratively with other teams, one that works across channels and unifies the user experience across all touchpoints.

What set us apart: the close integration of design and development across multiple Scrum teams, active participation in SAFe ceremonies, and the continuous validation through user data and customer feedback. Rather than theoretical concepts, this approach produced solutions that work in practice and are continuously improved.

From the home page to the seat reservation

New Homepage and Timetable (from 2023)

The homepage of sbb.ch has been radically simplified. Customers can now see their recently searched stops and access connections directly on the same page – without an additional click on "Search connection". Individual journeys can now be saved and retrieved under "My Journeys", complete with real-time information on delays or platform changes. The route is displayed on a map, including walking directions when changing trains.

Ticket Shop with Improved Offer Display

The purchasing process has been completely redesigned. An intelligent recommendation engine makes targeted suggestions for point-to-point tickets, day passes, or saver day passes. Purchasing outbound and return journeys now works within a single process, including cross- and up-selling opportunities. On the technology side, the stack has been migrated from JSF and Angular to React/Next.js with web components. Customer feedback can now be collected directly within the purchasing process, and the entire purchase journey is consistently measurable with PIANO Analytics.

HalbtaxPLUS – the New Digital Subscription

Leveraging the new technology, SBB introduced HalbtaxPLUS in 2024. The subscription works with a discount applied to a credit card that can be used with every digital ticket purchase. Within a very short time, the product gained almost 170,000 subscribers. The credit balance is visible in the profile at any time, can be topped up, and is stored directly as a payment method.

Unified Profile

The new profile in the current design gives customers a quick overview of personal settings, public transport credit, subscriptions, and payment methods. The key innovation: the previously separate B2B and B2C user accounts have been merged into a single profile. The dashboard for logged-in users simplifies access and significantly increases the login rate.

Further Optimisations

Since 2023, the timetable maps have enabled targeted searches for services, shops, and dining options at larger stations. During major disruptions, a live ticker displays background information directly on the map. Graphical seat reservation (from 2025) allows free seat selection, cross-carriage booking, and zone selection. New sales-oriented product pages for GA, Halbtax, and day passes have been completely redesigned, replacing the old JSF pages.

Measurable results and sustainable impact

The gradual digitalisation is delivering measurable results: HalbtaxPLUS gained almost 170,000 subscribers in a very short time, demonstrating the demand for more flexible travel options. Usage of the profile and help/contact section increased by 24% in 2024, noticeably reducing the workload on SBB's support teams.

Conversion rates are rising thanks to the seamless purchasing and payment process, with new cross- and up-selling opportunities. Tickets and subscriptions are increasingly being purchased through digital channels, relieving pressure on in-person sales. Customer satisfaction across SBB's digital channels has increased significantly.

Accessibility in accordance with WCAG 2.2 AA considerably improves access to public transport services for people with disabilities. The login rate on sbb.ch is continuously rising, enabling SBB to offer more personalised products and capitalise on upselling potential. Paid content revenue on sbb.ch is also growing.

The next phase is already defined: optimising international travel options, the checkout process and purchase confirmation will fully complete the customer journey in the core business, and will definitively replace the outdated JSF and Angular technology on sbb.ch.