Swiss public transport given good marks for cost-effectiveness
Travelling within cities is good value in Switzerland
Keystone
Using public transport infrequently in Switzerland is expensive, but thanks to new special offers such as “early bird” rates Switzerland does well when it comes to value for money, according to an international study.
“Travelling by train, bus or boat is expensive in Switzerland,” is a common refrain among Swiss people – and especially tourists. But this is partially disproved by the third price comparison study, published on Tuesday by the information service for public transport (LITRAExternal link) and ch-directExternal link.
It concluded that Switzerland has an “excellent” price-performance ratio. Compared with the other countries examined (Italy, Germany, France, Austria, the Netherlands and Britain), it scores well – in particular thanks to its extensive network and range of offers, not to mention “excellent punctuality”.
swissinfo.ch
Regarding cost, Switzerland lay in the middle of the field, although not all customers are equal. Those with frequent-travel cards enjoy greater savings and travelling within cities and from the city to the countryside is also good value. Relatively expensive, on the other hand, are one-way trips within Switzerland, especially in metropolitan areas and between two cities.
Jeannine Pilloud, president of ch-direct, said the branch was working on improving its price-performance ratio. Rates for infrequent travellers and certain groups needed to be lowered and the situation needed to be simplified for new customers, she said.
For commuters travelling from Bern to Zurich (83km), it pays to invest in an annual pass costing CHF3,860 ($3,873). In comparison, commuters going from Amsterdam to Eindhoven (106km) would only break even after buying a pass worth CHF7,518.
swissinfo.ch
More
More
How to save money in Switzerland
This content was published on
There’s no denying that Switzerland is pricey, but there are bargains to be had. We’ve crowdsourced some tips from our Facebook community.
This content was published on
The Ethos Foundation recommends that shareholders vote against all compensation-related items at the Annual General Meeting on March 7.
Top Swiss firms close to reaching gender quota in boards
This content was published on
The proportion of women on the boards of directors of the fifty largest listed companies in Switzerland currently stands at 28%.
Swiss committee wants to end government resignations during legislative term
This content was published on
Members of the Federal Council should no longer be able to leave office before the end of their term, according to a House of Representatives committee.
Swiss government seat: Ritter and Pfister nominated to succeed Amherd
This content was published on
Markus Ritter from St Gallen and Martin Pfister from Zug were officially nominated by the Centre Party on Friday to succeed Defence Minister Viola Amherd.
Top Swiss court rejects Russian request for administrative tax assistance
This content was published on
There is currently no reason to transmit banking information to the Russian Federation, the Swiss Federal Court has ruled.
After strike by radiologists, doctors demonstrate in Bern
This content was published on
Following a strike by radiology technicians in Fribourg, doctors, vets, dentists and chiropractors expressed their frustration on Friday outside parliament in the Swiss capital.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.