Alliance SwissPass has announced that it will be offering a new ticket that will give people cheaper access to public transport in Switzerland. The new pass is designed to be a replacement for the ticket offered by local councils (Gemeinden) and city authorities.
For the last 20 years, councils across Switzerland have been given access to a limited number of discount public transport passes - which provide all-zone travel for 24 hours, for sometimes less than half the price. After it was confirmed in 2020 that the “council pass” would be phased out by the end of 2023, Alliance SwissPass has now announced its successor.
The association has confirmed that a new ticket called “Savings Day Ticket Municipality” will be launching at the start of 2024. The new pass will give the holder access to unlimited public transport travel in all of Switzerland for 24 hours.
Unlike the previous ticket, there will be no restrictions or quotas on how many tickets can be issued by each authority - only a Switzerland-wide quota will be used - and they will not be restricted to Swiss citizens and holders of residence permits who are registered with the council that issues the pass.
Authorities hope that giving an unlimited number of cut-price tickets to local councils will open a “world of savings” for people who aren’t as tech-savvy. However, they were quick to say that the pass will also be transferable and available on mobile phones.
The cheapest versions of the ticket will be available at least 10 days or more before the date of travel, with a second class day pass with a Half-Fare travel card (Halbtax-abo) costing 39 francs per person. First-class and short-notice passes will also be available, although these will cost more.
"We are convinced that we can continue to offer our residents a great public transport product with the community savings day pass," Monika Litscher, Vice Director of the Swiss Association of Cities, said in a statement. Alliance SwissPass Managing Director Helmut Eichhorn added: "We have found a good solution and can continue the good cooperation between the municipalities, cities and public transport."
For more information, check out the official press release.
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