How do one purchase a bus ticket in Switzerland?

Question

Hi,

How is bus ticket sold in Switzerland?

Do one pay as he/she board the bus?

Is there ticket dispenser at a bus-stop?

If I am a holder of a Swiss Half Fare Card, how do I buy a half-priced ticket?

Thanks.

Answer 1

It depends from city to city, but generally you won't be able to buy the ticket on the bus and actually will be fined if found without a valid ticket - the fines are anything between CHF60-100, so it's worth buying the ticket!!

Normally there are ticket machines at the bus stop and you choose by destination. For example if in the city of Basel and going to the village of Schonenbuch, you'd look at Schonenbuch on the list and there'll be a number next to it,  you then press that number. If you have the half price, then you select the column that has the 1/2 above it.

I've lived in Lausanne, Geneva and Basel and it was always a pretty simple system to work out, Zurich was the only one that didn't seem to make any sense!

Answer 2

go to switzerland and find out

Answer 3

For a city bus? Some bus stops have a ticket machine, then you follow the instructions on it (in Zurich, you enter the destination or press the "Kurzstrek" (sorry, I know I'm spelling that wrong) button if you're only going a short distance--under the button will be a list of the stops you're allowed to go to from where you start.

There's a button to press on the machine (1/2) if you have the half-fare card. For buses (at least in Zurich) you have to pay more like 60%. You might find it's better to get a return ticket.

Or you can buy a ticket at the nearest train station. In that case, you may be buying it in advance and have to click it in the orange box near the door of the bus to validate it. If the ticket doesn't say when it's valid until, it's NOT valid!

Otherwise, yes, you can also pay on the bus. Show the driver your half-fare card.

Answer 4

Yes, there are ticket vending machines at most bus stops, and or, you may buy it from the bus driver. Enjoy your visit!

Answer 5

Usually there will be ticket mashines at the bus stop, sometimes the tickets have to be purchased from the bus driver or from a mashine in the bus.

Answer 6

Many cites have ticket dispenser at the bus stops.

tickets are valid for 1hr - 2hr - 1/2day or all day

I don't know much about the half-fare card for city buses.

You may have one for the trains/boats, since each cities have their own fares for city transits, it may not be valid.