Background, People
Rachel Grüninger, multi-talented Postbus driver
It’s all about millimetres: when Rachel Grüninger drives the Postbus through the tower archway of the legendary church of Carona, she’s in her element. In tennis, too, the doubles champion from Ticino hits the ball with precision. Multilingual and multi-talented, she’s also a prolific blogger and influencer.
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Video: Rachel Grüninger
Rachel Grüninger has been with PostBus for seven years, first as a customer advisor and in the back office in Lugano, and for the past year as a driver. She particularly likes the narrow and challenging routes in Capriasca, Val Colla and popular excursion destinations such as Morcote, Carona.
Rachel was the first woman to drive a Postbus in Val Colla. One of her favourite routes leads to the idyllic village of Carona, overlooking Lake Lugano. That’s where the Postbus passes through the side wing of the church. To drive through, there are only three or four centimetres on the left and right! Google MapsTarget not accessible calls this spectacular passageway “the narrowest Postbus tunnel in the world”. It requires a steady hand and nerves of steel.
Rachel is popular with her passengers and always up for a chat – while keeping a close eye on the timetable. But she also loves the quiet moments when a deer or a fox crosses her path in the early morning and late evening.
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Rachel’s personal life
Rachel grew up in Ticino, spent her early childhood in Zurich, is perfectly bilingual and also speaks French and English. Her parents can trace their roots to the Congo and the Philippines. Although Rachel loves being outdoors in the peace and quiet of nature, she looks out for adrenaline kicks such as bungee jumping, too. She and her boyfriend Marinko, who’s also a Postbus driver, travel the world discovering new cultures.
Rachel crams in plenty of activities every day as she’s very sporty, plays competitive tennis and was the Ticino doubles champion in 2023.
Rachel the social media blogger
Rachel also puts her talents to good use as an influencer. She regularly posts pictures from her everyday life on topics such as food, leisure and sport on her InstagramTarget not accessible and TikTokTarget not accessible accounts. Her imitations of various Ticino dialects are particularly popular.
But Postbus passengers are just as important to Rachel as her 10,000 plus social media followers.
