Visiting Bernhard Bieri, Director of Touring Club Switzerland

We paid a visit to Touring Club Switzerland (TCS) in Ostermundigen. The modern building is right next to the train tracks. We got out, but the underpass only leads out of the station on one side – the wrong side, of course. It was a funny omen for our visit to Switzerland’s largest mobility club, with 1.6 million members and 1,900 employees.

After a quick detour, we arrive at the largest site in German-speaking Switzerland (the head office is in Vernier near Geneva). The first thing we notice is the eMobility lounge on the first floor. It’s surprising that cars don’t play a key role here, with e-scooters, cargo bikes, and e-scooters taking center stage. Why is that? We go up one floor to find out. Bernhard Bieri, director of TCS, is waiting for us there. He looks pretty modern: white sneakers, Apple Watch, goatee. Bieri leads us up a few stairs to the cafeteria, where we are greeted by a magnificent view of the picture-book peaks of the Bernese Oberland. 

Mr. Bieri, every child knows TCS because of the yellow breakdown vehicles. But here on the premises, car products aren’t center stage. Why is that?

Let me ask you a question. What do you think TCS was founded for?

To promote limitless driving on Swiss highways?

Gotcha! (laughs) The founders wanted to promote cycling tourism and make it safer. They had a lot of alarming experiences when travelling around on their bikes, including flying pitchforks and wires stretched across the road. This was in 1896.

So, the TCS stands for...

... the mobility of all road users. That’s always been our mission, although we’re mostly known for our work with car traffic. But we’ve always been a mobility club first and foremost.

You run campsites and a drone app, and there are ambulances, insurance, and credit cards. How many different products do you actually offer?

(laughs) Now you’ve got me – I don’t know. But what I do know is that all our products are developed according to the needs of our members and are generally very well received.

Bieri also knows that two current trends are causing breakdown services and cars in general to wane in relevance: Firstly, young people in cities no longer necessarily want to own their own vehicle; and secondly, cars today are less prone to damage than they were 10 or 20 years ago.
If the TCS wants to continuously increase its membership figures, it needs novel approaches. The club has found them: It is number one for e-cargobike sharing worldwide, while in Switzerland it is the top provider of bike marketplaces, drone schools, travel insurance, and campsites.

Mr. Bieri, how do you envisage the future of mobility?

 “I really believe in com­bined mobility,” says the longstanding TCS Director. “You drive the first part of the journey by car, then switch to public transport for longer distances to avoid traffic jams. For the last few kilometers, you might grab an e-scooter or order an Uber.” 

We argue that this park-and-ride concept hasn’t really caught on in Switzerland. Bieri says it’s because the train station transfer options aren’t great or there aren’t enough parking spaces. “Politicians often ban cars as a matter of principle,” he says. “Then they prevent mixed solutions that make more sense." He himself gets to work by car, “so I save 45 minutes. The car offers a lot of people a lot of benefits, and it’ll stay that way. They’ll only switch if the alternatives are just as attractive.” When it comes to new mobility solutions, Bieri thinks there’s a bright future for small, ultralight electric vehicles for urban transportation.

Bernhard Bieri spent 20 years at PostFinance, where he was in charge of introducing e-banking. He was part of the team that developed eBill, so you’d think he’d have introduced invoicing at TCS, which sends out around four million invoices a year.

Bieri smiles a bit awkwardly: “Of course we wanted to, but we had to adapt our IT systems first. And that took longer than we thought.” Since last fall, TCS members have finally been able to pay electronically – and 210,000 have already done so. “That shows people have really been waiting for eBill,” says Bieri.

Where does he see the pros and cons today? The organization’s low costs (no printing, no mailing) and important level of environmental compatibility are very positive. Initial analysis has also shown that the number of reminders is falling because “you have the invoice in your e-banking right away,” as Bieri says, “so it doesn’t get forgotten.”

He has to think about the cons. Then he remembers: “With printed invoices, we could also send an enclosed letter in addition to the payment slip. With eBill, you can include additional information, but it’s hardly ever read.” The second downer is a bit of a disappointment for TCS, but it’s a win for customers: the system automatically selects the last possible payment date. “This is good for the paying party,” says Bieri, “but it has an impact on our cash flow. We’re used to some people paying immediately.” Overall, though, Bieri sees the introduction of eBill as a positive change. “The advantages clearly outweigh the disadvantages,” he says. He’s confident that many more people will switch over by the end of the year when the membership fees are due. It’s a bit of an odd fit that TCS adopted eBill so late, given the club’s digital self-image. “We’re at the forefront of taking out insurance policies online.”

Bieri, a passionate cyclist, has to move on. As he says goodbye, he adds: “And the next time you see a yellow TCS tow truck, remember: We’re also the biggest bike club in Switzerland!”