MPs are seeking fairer child custody rules; Switzerland’s notorious shaky trains to ensure a smoother ride after overhaul; and other news in our Wednesday roundup.
Parliament wants to encourage joint custody of children after separation
The courts generally award custody of children to one parent, most often the mother.
As reported by the public broadcaster RTS, the option of joint custody “remains marginal and varies from canton to canton: in some, it only affects one in ten divorces, while in others, often in French-speaking Switzerland, it can reach three in ten divorces.”
However, often this is not in the child’s best interest, and the legislators want a more flexible system.
To this end, a bill which is currently under consultation in the parliament until October, aims to involve both parents in raising children — provided that such an approach is beneficial for the children’s welfare.
Switzerland’s ‘shaking train’ is on track for a smoother ride
The SBB’s flagship fleet — the double-decker long-distance FV-Dosto trains — are notorious for shaking passengers every which way when switching gears.
Specifically, the chassis located under each carriage, on which axles allowing the train to steer around curves are fixed, need to be improved to ensure a comfortable, shake-free ride.
One train has now received “partially rebuilt” bogies that — the SBB hopes — will noticeably reduce the shaking.
Depending on the revamped train’s performance, the company will decide in autumn 2025 whether the remaining FV-Dosto trains should also be converted accordingly.
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Geneva police: Beware of fake ‘unpaid ticket’ scams
A number of Geneva residents have received officially-looking letters or emails claiming to be reminders of unpaid fines.
However, they are actually phishing scams, police said in a press release.
These messages contain invoices that appear to be legitimate, but contain several suspicious elements — such as the absence of the recipient’s address; presence of a QR code redirecting to a fraudulent website; and a fake reproduction of the official format used for payment reminders from the municipal police.
Authorities are therefore warning residents who have received such letters NOT TO scan the QR code or provide any personal information on the website indicated.
READ ALSO: The common scams foreigners in Switzerland need to be aware of
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Good news for Zurich tenants at last: rents are falling
Switzerland’s largest city has been in the throes of a chronic housing shortage and correspondingly high rents.
But this longtime trend is easing now a bit: rents for 4.3 percent of all apartments advertised for rent in Zurich are currently being reduced. (Across Switzerland, the figure is 3.4 percent.)
“This is due to a slight decline in population growth and increased construction activity,” according to Tanja Müller, spokesperson for the Zurich Cantonal Bank.
And this positive (for tenants) trend is here to stay, at least for the foreseeable future: “Rent price growth is expected to continue to flatten both this year and next year,” she said.
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