Since its inception, the TCS has influenced Swiss mobility and has significantly contributed to the development of transport infrastructure and the improvement of road safety on Swiss roads. Today, the non-profit association is committed to people, regardless of how they travel: whether on foot, by bicycle, motorcycle, car, using public transport, or new forms of urban mobility. Celebrating its 130th anniversary, Switzerland's largest mobility club counts 1.65 million members and 2,200 employees.
Commitment to safe mobility
Reducing accidents in Switzerland remains a central and relentless task for the TCS. Traffic education begins with the youngest road users in kindergarten. Further efforts include education campaigns and driving safety training, both mandatory and voluntary, for professional drivers and private individuals. Part of the commitment to road safety also involves testing and audits of infrastructures such as school routes and pedestrian crossings.
For 60 years, the mobility club has also stood for consumer protection, testing cars, assistance systems, tyres, child seats, helmets, e-bikes, and trendy vehicles. TCS experts also advise on mobility, safety, and environmental topics - with a particular focus on electromobility - and collaborate with authorities and research institutions. Study and test results are regularly published and made available to the public.
To ensure vehicles are travelling safely, the TCS also provides for their technical safety. The roadside and accident assistance services continue to symbolize the Touring Club Switzerland, with 368,000 missions conducted annually. The technical centres also offer technical controls and official inspections.
New business fields: Expansion of assistance
In recent years, TCS has strategically ventured into new business fields and specifically expanded its mobility services with assistance in the health sector and for the home.
TCS Group
With the establishment of TCS Ambulance in 2021, the TCS entered the field of emergency rescue and road patient transport, becoming the largest private player in this area. 400 employees conduct around 45,000 missions from 23 bases in nine cantons, including emergency transports via the emergency number 144 and patient transports. For many years, a team of doctors has been a fixed part of the ETI operations centre when it comes to travel assistance as part of TCS travel protection.
The business field for home services is bundled into craft assistance (TCS Home), professional home monitoring (TCS Home Security), and expanded assistance from the roadside service for private charging stations.
Drone deployment now also with 100-kilogram loads
The TCS is the largest provider of drone pilot training in Switzerland, especially for professional applications. These courses have been conducted for several years at the facilities of the driving training centres.
As vertical mobility will gain importance in the future, new services with cargo drones up to 40 kilograms were launched with TCS Drone in 2025. The drones are used, among other things, for transporting solar panels, in the logistics of remote mountain regions, and for insurance inspections. Precise aerial photographs accelerate damage assessments and benefit those affected. The Federal Office for Civil Aviation (FOCA) has granted TCS an expanded operational permit for using cargo drones in densely populated areas or urban spaces.
A new cargo drone for transport flights with loads up to 100 kilograms, available from autumn 2026, opens up further possibilities, such as use in cable cars or forestry.
Politics: statutory mandate
The TCS also pursues its statutory mandate politically, to protect the rights and interests of its members in road traffic and mobility matters in general. This commitment includes responding to consultations, participating in parliamentary commission hearings, and regular exchanges with politics and administration. Current central dossiers are the 'Transport '45' proposal and the financing of transport infrastructures in connection with the substitute levy for electric vehicles.
Founded by cyclists - continuously growing
Not many know it: The Touring Club Switzerland was founded on September 1, 1896, in Geneva by 205 passionate cyclists. The original goal was to promote cycle tourism and make the then-very-poor roads safer for cyclists. Alongside road safety, tourism remains one of TCS's core competencies today, as it is Switzerland's largest camping provider.
Adaptability and the ability to develop characterize the emergency organization. Central President Peter Goetschi (since 2012) and General Director Jürg Wittwer (since 2016) can look back not only on 130 years of company history but also on a solid foundation and continuously growing membership numbers. 'With 23 regionally anchored sections and our 2,200 employees, TCS will continue to stand up for Switzerland and help people in need in the future,' notes Peter Goetschi.
Press contact:
Vanessa Flack, Media spokeswoman TCS Tel. 058 827 34 41
vanessa.flack@tcs.ch