The Social Democratic Party (SP) in Zurich has launched a new referendum which would create a 365-franc-a-year public transport pass for ZVV services. The SP said the plan will halve the cost of public transport for people across the city, while critics have argued that targeted help would be more practical.
Under the plans, all residents of the city, not canton, of Zurich would be able to buy a 365-franc annual travelcard for zone 110 - the zone that covers the centre of the city and surrounding suburbs. For children and young people, the price will drop to 185 francs a year. For reference, an annual zone 110 pass currently costs 782 francs per adult with a Half-fare travelcard (Halbtax-abo).
Those in tune with Zurich politics will know that this idea is not new. In February 2022, the SP and FDP. The Liberals already tried to launch the new ticket through a vote in the city council, but the proposal was rejected by the Alternative Left (AL) and the Green Party.
However, SP Zurich co-president Oliver Heimgartner told the Tages-Anzeiger that the plan was “very well” received by the public at the time, so with inflation now at the centre of people’s minds, the party has decided that the time is right to make the idea the topic of a referendum. "There is nothing more democratic than asking the population", he noted.
Heimgartner argued that the new one franc-a-day subscription was essential, as many families now pay upwards of 2.500 francs a year for ZVV subscriptions alone. He made the point that with transport companies already set to raise prices this year, and with Switzerland also confirmed as having the most expensive public transport in the world, the city council should now step in to help with rising costs.
Taking inspiration from Germany’s nine-euro ticket, Heimgartner said that the new Zurich pass should encourage drivers to switch to taking the trams, trains, buses and boats of Zurich. “If you want people to switch to climate-friendly offers, you have to make them more attractive," he noted.
While it enjoys strong support within the SP, FDP city councillor Michael Baumer said the plan was a classic example of the “watering can principle”, where instead of providing targeted help to those who need the discount most, the policy would grant a cheaper ticket to both low and highly-affluent areas of Zurich, and to all people regardless of salary.
Second, critics told the Tages-Anzeiger that questions still remain regarding whether reduced transport costs actually coax drivers out of their cars. Green Party city councillor Markus Knauss told the newspaper that an identical ticket scheme in Vienna has failed to reduce the number of drivers on the roads.
Like in 2022, the AL and the Green Party argued that by only offering the ticket to the residents of Zurich and not those who live in suburban or rural areas, the policy would not help those who need the subscription most. Finally, there is the question of cost. While the city council estimates that the plan would initially cost 56 million francs a year, even Heimgartner admitted that if the ticket proves a success, it will cost the Zurich taxpayer 100 million francs annually.
The SP confirmed that they will start collecting signatures for the plan after the school holidays. The Tages-Anzeiger forecasts that they will be able to get the number of signatures they need with ease, meaning citizens in the “Swiss metropolis” will get to vote on the ticket soon.
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