[Removed user]

4 December 2018 at 1:17:22 #819098

Hi. I have seen a picture of the vending machine (http://www.geneva.info/public -transport-tickets/ticket-machine-big.jpg) and a day’s bus fare is only CHF8 for adults (CHF5.60 – children). So far so good… but here are a few questions,

1) How do I use my Swiss Half Fare Travel card (and Family Card) to get discounts and free travel for the children? Or maybe it’s not valid in Geneva?

2) Do i buy the tickets one by one with no change given for each (ouch)?

3) I also read that the tickets are time-stamped, so you can’t buy in advance of the travel. Is that right? I need to get this right and avoid doing the silly thing!

Thanks veyr much.

Eric

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[Removed user]

4 December 2018 at 8:34:04 #899910

Hi Eric,

I haven’t been to Geneva in many years but I’ll guess they work the same as Zurich and other cities in Switzerland. There are some local Geneva experts on the forum who can chime in if they are different than Zurich. 🙂

You mean a day pass is 8chf?

1. You can select that you have a Swiss half fare card when buying tickets at the machine to get the discount. No ticket needed for the kids – just show the Swiss Family Card when asked.
2. It gives change or you can use a credit card
3. Correct. You can’t buy bus tickets ahead of time as far as I’m aware.

[Arno]

4 December 2018 at 15:48:40 #899911

Hi Eric,

I don’t know if you will be staying in Geneva, but if you do you’ll get free traveling, so no tickets required:

• http://www.myswissalps.com/ge neva/travel
• http://www.myswissalps.com/ge neva/hotels

If you’re not staying in Geneva and have a Swiss Travel Pass, everything is covered as well so again no tickets needed: http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass/validity.

[Removed user]

4 December 2018 at 23:42:24 #899912

Hi Lucas,

Thanks for your reply. That’s good info and confirmation. I did read somewhere else that no change will be given by the machines but that’s OK, we can just use the VISA card to be sure.

Arno – yeah unfortunately I’ll be staying at an Airbnb apartment and they don’t provide the card.

Cheers

Eric

[Removed user]

4 December 2018 at 23:44:47 #899913

I’m one of the ‘suspects’ Lucas refers to. I’ve been travelling in Geneva on and off for 58 years…(I’m 58!) I remember the pavement ticket machines being introduced in the early 1970s.

Like most (all) Swiss ticket machines if you have entitlement to half fare (in whatever shape or form that takes), then you just select the button for ‘1/2’ rather than full price – there won’t be a specific button for ‘half fare card holder’ as there are too many variants.

However, Geneva is a ‘rich’ place so they actually don’t give 50% off. The ‘half fare’ is not not half fare but ‘reduced fare’. As such the full price day ticket is CHF8. The reduced price day ticket is CHF5.60

TPG (Transport Publics Genevois) is the operator, English web site here:

http://www.tpg.ch/en/web/site -international

Note the existence of the tourist ‘Geneva Pass’

[Removed user]

5 December 2018 at 1:27:36 #899914

Good on ya, 1960man… you’re lucky to be in this beautiful city (and country) so much throughout your life. I’ve been wanting to be in Switzerland all my life and only get to do it in 2019. Quite a fair hop from Down Under (Australia)!

[Removed user]

5 December 2018 at 7:33:33 #899915

You were indeed my suspect! 😉

Good point, Zurich doesn’t quite give 50% off either…it seems most local/short distance fares under 10chf or so are somewhere around 30% off I think.