Exploring Sustainable Transportation in Switzerland

Scarlett Kamga was enrolled in the Spring 2025 PSYC 499 – It’s Not Easy Being Green: Decision-making for Sustainable Action course taught by Dr. Joe Árvai, Director of the Wrigley Institute. As part of the class, students took a spring break trip to Zürich, Switzerland to meet with people and organizations at the forefront of sustainability in Europe. During the rest of the spring semester, classes and lectures were complemented by meetings with sustainability leaders in Los Angeles. 

Switzerland may be known for its mountains, chocolate, and watches, but after spending time exploring Zürich’s public infrastructure during spring break, what stood out most was the population’s deep cultural commitment to efficient, sustainable transportation. During our visit to one of the country’s major transit organizations, we gained insight into how public support, government funding, and cultural norms can combine to create an ideal environment for climate action. What makes public transportation in Switzerland so effective is the way the system is woven into daily life. Trains, buses, and trams aren’t just alternatives to cars; they’re the preferred mode of transportation for many people in the country. This widespread adoption of transit as a first choice, rather than a backup plan, creates a powerful foundation for sustainable action in transportation.

The transit organization we visited has embraced this opportunity fully. Backed by substantial government support, it has been able to invest in sustainability projects that go well beyond operational efficiency. These include land management techniques, experiments with circular economy ideas, and green energy initiatives. And they have implemented these all while maintaining an extremely high level of service. A key theme in our discussions was how decision-making for sustainability is enhanced by public alignment. When most of the population already chooses trains over cars, the challenge becomes not shifting behavior, but improving systems. This allows the organization to focus on its climate goals and to allocate resources toward innovation rather than basic adoption efforts. Objectives like reducing operational emissions, supporting biodiversity, and sourcing renewable energy are easier to prioritize when the cultural groundwork is already in place.

This stands in stark contrast to many other parts of the world where car culture dominates. In those regions, such as in Los Angeles, even the most popular transit agencies face an uphill battle convincing people to give up their personal cars. Without strong public support, political will, and funding, ambitious sustainability strategies are often hard to achieve. But in Switzerland, the opposite is true: cultural values and government policy reinforce one another, creating the perfect cycle for sustainable development.

Of course, no organization is without its tradeoffs. Balancing the needs of a complex transportation network with sustainable climate objectives requires careful evaluation. Procurement decisions, land use planning, and infrastructure upgrades all involve weighing environmental benefits against cost and efficiency. What impressed me most was this organization’s willingness to test bold new strategies with the plentiful resources they have.

This visit left me thinking deeply about how much cultural context matters. Switzerland’s public transportation system works so well not just because it’s well-funded or expertly managed, but because people trust it, use it, and expect it to reflect their environmental values.