http://www.suddenlysenior.com/switzerlandbonnie.html .
Although I failed to notice this rate is for senior citizens. How old did you say you were again?
Anyway, the point is that it may be possible to salvage the 80CHF fine (Zuschlag) by buying a post factum monthly pass. Might want to get familiar with the rules and brush up some Obi-wan Kenobi techniques before attempting it. This isn't everybody's cup of tea. "Beat the Man at his System" just happens to be a favorite past-time in urban U.S. cities.
On the return ticket issue, I find it very handy that returns do not save you any money here; in other words, I always buy single tickets, so I do not have to think about the kilometer issue, and you are also more flexible if you stay the night
To make this easier, there are multi-travel cards. You can buy cards that have six single journeys, so you do not need to stress about getting a ticket every time, you just take this card that looks like a multitravel busticket and you stamp it before getting on the train. What is weird to me is that you do not save any money. In 'Living and working in Switzerland' it says you will save, maybe pay for 5 out of 6 etc. But for my route of 40km, I pay exactly the same price times six.
However, for distances of 4km per trip, the saving is enormous, about 45%. So what is going on there? These are all standard SBB tickets I am talking about. Is this because trips under say 10km will always cost you 2.20CHF, but if you buy a multiticket, you save on some hidden start up cost?
Lastly, I found out yesterday that if you bought a ticket to go to X, but change you mind while in the train to go to Y, you can do is, ask for a "Streckenwechsel" (line change). You may have to pay a difference, or in my case, you do not get a refund if your new trip is shorter.
As for the temporary pass, there is no photo on it and just last week I was asked by the ticket inspector for my permit. I didn't have it on me but I just showed him my halbtax (1/2 price pass) that had a photo and he was satisfied.
~ Nanda.
BTW, here's the URL for the General Abonnement while we're at it:
I can certainly confirm the problem with finding a Tageswahlkarte (multiple day tickets) on the English menus, I have tried many times, but don't have the trouble in German.
But there is one other trick for young players, and that is the zone tickets. When you buy a ticket inside the city zone, then it's for all of zone 10. But, if you buy a ticket OUTSIDE zone 10, but including zone 10, then zone 10 counts as TWO ZONES.
So, if you buy a zone ticket for zone 10 and 21, you need to buy a THREE zone ticket.
And another sob story...
My neighbour from Germany came down to visit a couple of weeks ago. He bought a ticket to go back to the airport (the S7 and S16 are controlled over 80% of the time). Before he got on, he went to the ticket machine to cancel it for him and his wife - - - we watched him do it and heard it print the date/time.
Sure enough, 2 x 80 Sfr, because they couldn't read the date/time or something. He's really steaming...
Once I got on the wrong train , a dircet to Geneva, missing my stop in Nyon and had to go to Geneva to turn back. The conductor laughed (as in, you're stupid) & told me which track to get on to go back. No fine, no need to buy another ticket.
Also, I traveled with a friend who had a pass which she forgot at home. They sold her a ticket (not a fine) and told her to bring her pass to the station & get a refund for the ticket.
Maybe we look more honest then the rest of you lot!?
I've also seen about four SBB agents circling around some poor girl at one of the tram stops. She was crying and they just kept almost berating her. Not very nice, if you ask me. Just because someone is traveling without a tram pass doesn't mean you need to be an a--hole. Just write the ticket and let them on their way.
One of the times I get stopped in Germany I was with my boyfriend at the time. We didn't have a tickets and I saw the ticket checker people getting on. I told him to just start looking through his pockets. They come up to ask, he's frantically looking, I'm almost screaming at him "I can't believe you lost the ticket. I give you one thing to do you can't even do that" "God, you're such an idiot." Etc. Etc.
The checkers look at me, look at him like they feel sorry for him, say it's okay and walk off. He he he.
I must be extremely lucky or I don't know what, but the numerous time I didn't have enough time to buy a ticket, bought a ticket for the wrong route, or lost a ticket (2 times just this month), the ticket checking guys were very friendly and just sold me a ticket with a somewhat higher price (it was usually 5 sfr higher than over the counter). Never once did I have to pay a 80 sfr fine and nobody suspected me of attempting to ride without a ticket.
Edit: Actually just today I bought a ticket for a slightly different route than what I took and the woman checking it didn't even mention anything.
I remembered another story on the bus:
I was out & about with my brother. We bought one bus ticket for two people. On the way home we didn't have enough change & the bus was arriving. We got on the bus with me say, "there is no way we will get stopped. There are rarely any controls"... Of course you know what happened: Yes, the bus controllers got on. I started to panic, moving further & further away from the controllers whispering "what are we going to do? what are we going to do? pretend we don't speaks French, we are tourists. etc"... When they got to us, my brother casually pulled out the expired ticket, covered the time stamp with his finger & showed it to the controllers pointing at both of us. The controller barely glanced at it, then they got off the bus.... phew!!!
The second time, I was on a bus. Again my pass had expired a few days ago. The inspector just gave me a knowing smile and proceeded to join one of his colleagues who appeared to have caught out a less "European looking" gentleman than I.
The third time I was on a bus. I had a valid ticket, but it was in my appartement. This time I was accompanied off the bus at the next stop, and asked to buy a one day pass at the ticket machine. So I was hit for 8 or 10 bucks instead of 80.
A fourth time I was again on a bus, which had stopped at Albisriederplatz. My monthly pass had expired 3 days before. I spotted the dread blue shirt and got off just in time. I saw the ticket office at the tram stop there and renewed my monthly pass. I caught the next bus and wouldn't you know it but the inspectors got on at the next stop.
I now have a one year pass!
Ironically then, the one time I had to pay up, I had a valid ticket. Just not about my person.
And in truth, the only reason I travelled without a valid ticket was because I would have to go out of my way to visit a Bahnhof to renew it. Lazy? Yes.
It would be geil if you could buy a monthly ticket at any machine, even at a bus stop. After all, you can do this at the machines am Bahnhof .
More details on the SBB web site.
I do not see how a ZH monthly pass costs more then a GA?
It is true that you can get backdate a GA when you buy it and get a refund on tickets brought at full price. However, you need to tell them you are buying a GA and get a stamp on the back of the ticket or they may not refund it.
Yesterday went to Bern Bahnhof to report the loss & request a new GA to be released. 30 chf later I was issued with a temporary (paper) GA & advised that my new one will take one week to be posted, which was nice.
Just wanted to share the experience. I would imagine that the poster with the daughter being shafted for 80 chuffs ran into an a**ehole, as most of the train conductors I have come across have been pretty understanding (especially when I pull the dumb Auslander pitch) ...
Many people have not the upfront cash to pay this: I know this.
However, a helluva lot of people here have the means to do so.
So: why bother with monthlies if you have the means ?
Especially if you add in the occasional CHF 80 "special ticket"...