Ever wanted to visit a Swiss ski resort, but didn’t want to go through the hassle of driving or taking public transport? Uber appears to have the answer with its new UberSKI system, which has recently been launched in Switzerland.

Uber launches new service between Swiss cities and ski resorts

As part of the offer, the online taxi service promises a direct ride from Swiss cities all the way to the mountains and back. For a fixed one-way rate of between 140 and 390 francs - not cheap, but possibly less than train tickets for a large family - a taxi will take you from Geneva, Lausanne, Bern or Zurich to a selection of top ski resorts. Return journeys from the mountains are also bookable in the app.

The system was originally trialled in France, with passengers able to go from Grenoble to one of 12 different resorts. All users have to do is use their mobile phone to organise an Uber from one of the set cities to one of the resorts (or back), and select the UberSKI option when confirming the request on the app.

Which ski resorts in Switzerland are reachable with UberSKI?

From Bern or Zurich, patrons are able to book connections to and from the following resorts:

• Engelberg
• Davos
• Laax
• Arosa
• Lenzerheide
• St. Moritz
• Andermatt
• Bad Ragaz
• Flumserberg
• Amden
• The Mythen region
• Hoch-Ybrig
• Stoos
• Rigi
• Gstaad
• Grindelwald
• Adelborden
• Mürren 
• Interlaken
• Hasliberg
• Meiringen

From Geneva or Lausanne, UberSKI taxis can take you to and from:

• Courchevel
• Zermatt
• Verbier
• Crans-Montana
• Gstaad
• Megève
• Chamonix
• Morzine-Avoriaz
• Flaine
• Saas-Fee
• Meribel
• Leysin
• Les Diablerets
• 4 Vallées
• Rougemont
• Portes du Soleil.

For car-free resorts like Zermatt, the Uber will take you to the nearest reachable mountain railway.

While it can’t claim to be as fast as driving yourself, UberSKI certainly has comfort and convenience on its side; all of the cars that are part of the scheme will have space for skis and snowboards on roof boxes or within the vehicle itself. For more information about UberSKI, check out the official website.