The Costs of Transportation in Switzerland Compared

The words “Switzerland” and “expensive” often appear in the same sentence, but when it comes to travel there is absolutely no need to spend a fortune on getting around. Sure, some of us are particular about the way we travel and are willing to pay big bucks to get it just right, but others just want to get from A to B at the lowest possible cost. Here, moneyland.ch compares the costs of 8 ways to get around in Switzerland without owning your own car.

1. Cycling

It may seem odd to count cycling as a form of intercity transportation, but it is important to understand that Switzerland is a small country, and distances between cities can be quite small. If you are not in a hurry, traveling by bicycle is the cheapest way to travel long distances in Switzerland (other than walking). Take a look at the moneyland.ch bicycle saving tips and guide to Swiss sharing economy platforms for ways to save.

2. Car-pooling

Car-pooling services have existed in various forms for many decades, but the internet has made it easier than ever to connect with drivers and organize rides. Unlike ride-sharing services like Uber, car-poolers do not make a profit. Instead, they allow other people to ride along with them to destinations which they are driving to anyway – in exchange for splitting fuel costs with passengers. This is by far the cheapest and most flexible way to travel within Switzerland or from Switzerland to neighboring countries.

Platforms for car-pooling between Swiss cities include Blablacar (online or app), e-carpooling.ch, and hitchhike.ch. A moneyland.ch assessment of Swiss car-pooling offers showed prices as low 18 francs from Zurich to Geneva. The main downsides are that you have to adapt your schedule to fit the available rides, and that you may not find car-pooling options for your planned time and/or route.

3. Bus

Although there are no major, regular bus lines between Swiss cities, a number of bus operators (like Flixbus) do travel from Swiss cities to border towns in neighboring countries.

It is worth noting that bus tickets from Swiss cities to other countries are often much cheaper than train tickets for intercity travel within Switzerland. For example, in 2022, the SBB/CFF charges around 65 francs for a standard, one-way train ticket from Zurich to Lugano. But depending on the time of travel, a ticket from Zurich to Como, which is just across the Italian border, can cost just over 30 francs if you book in advance. A standard train ticket from Zurich to Geneva costs nearly 90 francs, but a Flixbus ticket to Annemasse (just across the French border from Geneva) costs around 30 francs.

4. Train

The railway is the go-to form of transportation for most Swiss (in addition to private cars), but price-wise it sits about midway. Traveling by train can offer more comfort than a bus or car, at least when you travel during off-peak hours, and railway travel is statistically safer than traveling by road. But you pay good money for those benefits.

A one-way ride between Zurich and Geneva in second-class costs 44 Swiss francs, if you have a Half-Fare Card (2022 fares). Without a Half-Fare Card you pay double that price. Buying tickets online in advance can be much more affordable (as little as 27 francs for a Zurich-Geneva trip, with a Half-Fare Card). Day passes for all Swiss public transportation are often a more affordable option if you plan to travel to and from your destination on the same day, and possibly use public transportation at your destination. These are only available to holders of half-fare cards. A standard day pass costs 75 francs – less than you pay for a return ticket from Zurich to Geneva with a half-fare card.

Discounted day passes can be obtained from your municipality. Depending on the municipality, the cost of municipal day passes can be well below 50 francs. No half-fare card is required to use these, but they must be ordered in advance and can only be used on a pre-specified date. The SBB/CFF offers day passes for all of Switzerland which can only be bought online in advance starting from 29 francs with a Half-fare Card and 52 francs without one (2022 prices). The Leisure Travelcard from the SBB/CFF is an annual plan which includes multiple day passes. Broken down by individual passes, the cost is 40 francs per pass (30-pass plan) or 45 francs per pass (20-pass plan).

5. Airlines

Flying between Swiss cities is not as expensive as one might think. While you are limited with regards to where you can travel to with commercial airlines, you enjoy the benefit of relatively short travel times. One-way SWISS flights from Zurich to Geneva can be gotten for just over 100 francs (2022 fares). It is worth noting though, that air travel is not the most sensible option from an environmental point of view.

6. Car rentals

All major conventional car rental companies in Switzerland offer one-way rentals between major Swiss cities. Prices start at just over 100 francs during low seasons for a budget rental car picked up in Zurich and dropped off in Geneva on the same day (2022 rates). But prices can be much higher if you do not book well in advance, or if you rent during high seasons. The cost of fuel will add around 30 francs with the most economical vehicle (2022 prices). So your total cost is at least 130 francs – close to what you would pay for a car-sharing rental.

If you will pick up and return the car at the same location, you can use car sharing platforms like 2EM and Gomore to rent vehicles from private individuals. The prices are often lower than those charged by car rental companies.

7. Car sharing

At its core, car sharing is basically a new take on car rentals, with the main differences being: you are charged based on hours and mileage rather than by the day; you generally pay a large annual membership fee but then pay less for actual car rentals than you would at conventional rental car companies.

A number of car-sharing schemes operate in Switzerland. The biggest is Mobility, which operates its own fleet, has locations in most Swiss cities and large towns and provides a one-way option. The downside of car sharing is that it is relatively expensive. Based on Mobility’s maximum one-way rate of CHF 29 plus around CHF 163 francs for rental and mileage fees (cheapest available car), driving one way from Zurich to Geneva will cost you around 192 francs. A plus is that fuel or charging is included in the price.

8. Ride sharing

Like car-pooling portals, ride-sharing services like Uber and Vertt also connect you with drivers who are willing to give you a ride to where you need to go. The difference is that, unlike car-pooling drivers, Uber drivers are not just looking to cover part of the cost of their trip, but to make a profit.

Because Platforms set the prices and required drivers to have taxi-grade driver's licenses, car-sharing pricing more closely represents that of a taxi service than a car-pooling effort. Prices are designed to meet the needs of urban transportation rather than long-distance travelers. A trip from Zurich to Geneva using UberX will cost you between 400 and 700 francs.

That makes ride-sharing the most expensive option for long-distance travel within Switzerland, aside from conventional taxi and limo services. You do get a private chauffeur, but the cheapest form of transportation (car-pooling) gives you that as well for a fraction of the price.

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