I have purchased a EURAIL Regional Pass for France & Switzerland. Can I ride Swiss buses and trams with the pass alone or do I need to buy a ticket separately? Also, what is the protocol for boarding a Swiss bus or tram?
If I only need the EURAIL Pass, do I just show it to the driver upon boarding and find a seat;
if I have to buy a separate ticket, do I buy the ticket before boarding or on board;
is exact change required?
Thank you
Posted by
New Paltz, NY
9110 posts
The Swiss Pass does include municipal transport, but to my knowledge Eurail does not. However if you happen to be staying in a hotel in any of the cities in Switzerland, the hotel will give you a free municipal transit pass for the duration of your stay.
As far as protocols for purchasing tickets, in know that in Luzern there are tickets machines at each major stop to purchase tickets before you board the tram or buses, Not sure about the other cities though.
Posted by
Green Bay
21140 posts
Eurail passes are not good for local transportation. If you had a Swiss Travel Pass, you could use that.
They don't take payment on the buses or trams. You buy a ticket at the kiosks located at the stops. Everything operates on the honor system. Nobody checks anything unless a fare inspector with a badge asks to see your ticket. If you do not have a proper ticket, it gets expensive.
Posted by
Basel, Switzerland
8889 posts
Swiss passes include buses and trams, Eurail passes do not.
As Michael says, if you stay in a hotel in many large cities you get a free transport pass for that city included. You will be given this when you check in. The area covered by the pass varies from city to city, it is usually the city and suburbs. You only get such a ticket in some places, not all.
Tram and bus drivers in cities do not sell tickets, they just drive. If you need to buy a ticket you do so before you get on from ticket machines at each stop. The machines give change, but do not take notes, just coins (some take notes and /or cards, but not all). Save your large coins for the machines (5 Fr, 2 Fr).
You can then get on and off using any door. You do not need to show your ticket as you get on or off. Tickets are checked by inspectors who are not in uniform. They do random checks, and if anybody does not have a ticket they have to pay an on-the-spot fine of 80 or 100 Franks.
On rural buses there is no machine at the stop and here you have to buy a ticket from the driver, in which case you have to get on at the front.
Posted by
Lynnwood, Washington
8876 posts
You do receive a 25% discount on mountain railways in Switzerland if you show your Eurail pass at the time of purchase. This does not count against your travel days. If you are going past Interlakken Ost toward Laterbrunnen, Murren, etc, you will need to go into the train station at Interlakken Ost and buy your ticket for your onward journey. This means you will not catch the first connecting train, but the next one. Keep this in mind when scheduling.
Every bus I was on in the rural areas was able to give me change and you paid on board the bus.