Prices for Swiss unlimited travelcards rise less than planned

Journeys on Swiss public transport are set to become more expensive from December. However, fare increases – particularly for a general subscription (GA) which enables unlimited travel – will be less steep than announced in March by the industry organisation Alliance Swisspass.

Alliance Swisspass announced on Tuesday that a 2nd-class GA will cost CHF4,095 ($5,055) instead of CHF4,195, and a 1st-class GA will cost CHF6,770 instead of CHF6,850. The 2nd-class GA will therefore cost CHF100 more instead of CHF200, while the 1st-class GA will cost CHF250 more instead of CHF330.

The new fares have been revised downwards following discussions with the price watchdog. However, the increase remains necessary to cover inflation and the rising costs of staff, energy, materials and maintenance, according to Alliance Swisspass.

For other fares, the increases announced in March will stand. The Halbtax season ticket for adults will increase by CHF5. The bonus on the credit packages for Halbtax Plus remains unchanged.

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For children, young people and families, prices will either not increase at all or will rise only slightly. In addition, the Swiss Federal Railways will expand its range of saver tickets. Discounts totalling CHF90 million are planned in this area for 2027.

According to the press release, the average fare increase is therefore 3.6% rather than 3.9%. Regional public transport associations set their own fare adjustments.

Second fare increase since 2023

The previous nationwide fare increase was three years ago. Prior to that, public transport fares had remained stable at national level for seven years. At the end of 2023, ticket prices rose by an average of 3.7%. Before the price watchdog Stefan Meierhans intervened, Alliance Swisspass had planned an increase of 4.3%.

At the time, the price of the GA was the main point of contention. Ultimately, Meierhans negotiated a fare increase of 3.5% for the 2nd-class GA, rather than the 5.7% initially announced.

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Translated from German, reviewed by an English Department journalist.