Leaked document reveals plans to hike price of Swiss GA travelcard
An internal document from Switzerland’s public transport operators' association recommends a steep rise in the price of the country's popular GA travelcard along with other proposals that could boost ticket prices for other travellers.
In the document, the transport operator group CH-Direct says GA travelcards provide “too much value for money” compared with other public transport options in Switzerland.
The document goes on to recommend that the price of this travelcard – which is held by nearly 500,000 Swiss residents – should be raised by 10 percent as of December 2021.
Read also: Here's how the Swiss railway timetable changes in 2020
At the same time, the option to save money by temporarily "depositing" GA travelcards when they are not required by users should also be scrapped, according to the document published by Swiss consumer website Beobachter.
A standard second-class GA travelcard currently costs 3,860 Swiss francs. If the CH-Direct plans were implemented, that would rise to 4,250 francs.
A CH-Direct spokesperson told Beobachter that "no decision has yet been taken" on whether to raise the price of the GA travelcard.
But news of the proposal was met with heavy criticism on Wednesday. The Young Greens launched an online petition against the plans while the head of Swiss transport users group Pro Bahn, Karin Blättler, said the move sent “completely the wrong signal given the current climate debate”.
And the plans to raise the price of the GA are not the only possible bad news for Swiss commuters.
More bad news for commuters
The leaked CH-Direct document also includes a proposal to gradually phase out the cheap day travel passes which can be ordered from Swiss town halls, although this would be offset by the launch of the option to buy "supersaver" tickets from ticket machines at train stations – something which is not currently possible.
Read also: So what is actually cheap in Switzerland
Meanwhile, the 26,000 or so holders of the Junior GA travelcard, which is currently available to students aged 25–30 for 2,650 francs a year, would be particularly hard hit.
CH-Direct would like to do away with this card altogether, meaning students in this age group would have to pay the full GA price of 3,860 francs. That is a hike of 45 percent.
Read also: SBB makes it easier to buy cheap international train tickets
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In the document, the transport operator group CH-Direct says GA travelcards provide “too much value for money” compared with other public transport options in Switzerland.
The document goes on to recommend that the price of this travelcard – which is held by nearly 500,000 Swiss residents – should be raised by 10 percent as of December 2021.
Read also: Here's how the Swiss railway timetable changes in 2020
At the same time, the option to save money by temporarily "depositing" GA travelcards when they are not required by users should also be scrapped, according to the document published by Swiss consumer website Beobachter.
A standard second-class GA travelcard currently costs 3,860 Swiss francs. If the CH-Direct plans were implemented, that would rise to 4,250 francs.
A CH-Direct spokesperson told Beobachter that "no decision has yet been taken" on whether to raise the price of the GA travelcard.
But news of the proposal was met with heavy criticism on Wednesday. The Young Greens launched an online petition against the plans while the head of Swiss transport users group Pro Bahn, Karin Blättler, said the move sent “completely the wrong signal given the current climate debate”.
And the plans to raise the price of the GA are not the only possible bad news for Swiss commuters.
More bad news for commuters
The leaked CH-Direct document also includes a proposal to gradually phase out the cheap day travel passes which can be ordered from Swiss town halls, although this would be offset by the launch of the option to buy "supersaver" tickets from ticket machines at train stations – something which is not currently possible.
Read also: So what is actually cheap in Switzerland
Meanwhile, the 26,000 or so holders of the Junior GA travelcard, which is currently available to students aged 25–30 for 2,650 francs a year, would be particularly hard hit.
CH-Direct would like to do away with this card altogether, meaning students in this age group would have to pay the full GA price of 3,860 francs. That is a hike of 45 percent.
Read also: SBB makes it easier to buy cheap international train tickets
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