ZVV to inspect public transport tickets in Zurich on September 8

The Zurich Transport Association (ZVV) will conduct a ticket inspection day in Zurich on September 8, as part of the Ticket Please campaign. Passengers on public transport must travel with a valid ticket or face a fine.

Planned ticket inspection day in Zurich on September 8

The Zurich Transport Association (Zürcher Verkehrsverbund, ZVV) will carry out a ticket inspection day on September 8 in Zurich. Travellers must have a valid ticket to travel in the ZVV tariff zone.

Passengers need a valid ticket when travelling on public transport, including trains, buses, boats, trams, the Glattalbahn, and the Limmatalbahn. Tickets can be purchased using the ZVV app, on the ZVV website, through SBB, or at a station. 

Most tickets need to be validated at a machine before travel, which can usually be found on platforms or on buses. Passengers must also travel in the class associated with their ticket (first or second class). 

What happens if you travel without a valid ticket?

If a ticket inspector finds that you are travelling without a valid ticket, they will first take your details, including name, address, date of birth, and place of residence. The inspector will then issue a fine depending on what ticket, if any, you have purchased.

You will be subject to pay the full fine if you do not hold a valid ticket. The penalty fare for travelling without a valid ticket is 100 Swiss francs, but can increase to 220 Swiss francs if this is your second or third time without a ticket. 

If you are travelling with a partially valid ticket, you will pay a reduced fine ranging from 75 Swiss francs to 195 Swiss francs. This will also depend on whether it is your first, second, or third time being caught without a ticket.

Further details about ticket inspections and ticket validity can be found on the ZVV website.

Ticket inspection day part of ZVV’s "Billet, bitte" campaign

The ticket inspection day is part of ZVV’s Ticket Please (Billet bitte) campaign. Watson comments that “it seems a bit strange” to announce the ticket inspection day in advance. The day should “take place without prior notice in order to catch as many fare dodgers as possible”. 

However, the transport network aims to “raise awareness of ticket requirements, ticket inspections, and fairness in public transport”. ZVV claims that, “those who use public transport without paying harm the public: every year, this results in at least CHF 80 million in lost revenue”. 

Passengers must buy a valid ticket for any travel that takes place across Switzerland. Aside from the ticket inspection day taking place in Zurich, ticket checks are carried out at random.