Roaming Swiss bus users get mobile phone guide

The camera reads a barcode on hiking signposts, which opens a webpage with the exact timetable for the nearest rural bus stop, PostAuto said in a statement Monday.

"Unlike SMS-(text)based systems it isn't necessary to know the name or location of the stop, a major advantage for foreign hikers," it explained.

The "mobile tagging" system is being tried out until October around the small town of Heiden in eastern Switzerland.

If the experiment is succesful it could be expanded and include other information such as delays, PostAuto said.

The Alpine nation has a well-organised system of signposting on footpaths and hiking trails as well as a close-knit public transport network integrating the rural bus service run by the Post Office with railways.