Basel Trams to St. Louise

[Gerald Fiennes]

Correction: St. Louis. Today's challenge question: the mobility card issued to hotel guests covers all Basel Stadt canton, ie. Switzerland only. It is not valid on the tram extensions in France or Germany (other than Roderdorf, presumably). But the ticket machines don't seem to have any extension ticket capability or, indeed, the option of buying a ticket to St. Louis at all. It's well known that things are different in France, but presumably someone might check the tickets if I did try and make this journey?

 

[zuriblue]

If you look on the TNW website (tarifverbundNordWestSchweiz) then your questiosn are answered.

http://www.tnw.ch/en/tickets-preise/grenzueberschreitende-angebote/angebote-ch-f/einzelbillette

Basically you need a 2 zone ticket. If you push the right hand button on the green ticket machine (something like cross-border tickets) that'll take you where you want.

On the trams it will be BVB (Basel Transport) ticket inspectors that will check you, don't know about the buses but you board the Distribus buses at the front and show the driver so he'll put you right. If a BVB inspector catches you then it will be expensive (100 CHF), and, if they're anything like their Zürcher counterparts, they are not at home to excuses.On the other hand Baslers do tend to be a bit more laid back so you might just get told where you went wrong.

By the way the French Leymen stop on the BLT route out to Rodersdorf sits in zone 12 according to the map so I think Swiss tickets will be valid there.

 

[Mag_seven]

Just out of interest, would a Swiss Travel Pass be valid on the cross border tram routes?

 

[James James]

The above information is incorrect: there's a connecting ticket available for people with a valid zone 10 ticket:
http://www.tnw.ch/en/tickets-preise...tt-distribus-gebiet-saint-louis-agglomeration

Just out of interest, would a Swiss Travel Pass be valid on the cross border tram routes?

Unlikely. The link above explains that GA and other subscription owners need to buy a connecting ticket. Te Swiss Travel Pass is generally treated like a GA, so you'd probably need a connecting ticket too - but there are some cases where the Swiss Travel Pass is superior (e.g. Locarno funicular), I doubt that would be the case here though because it's crossing into a non-Swiss tariff zone (as opposed to a one-off Swiss railway with special treatment).

 

[Gerald Fiennes]

Ah, makes sense. There is indeed an option for a ticket on 'Distribus' which I mistakenly thought meant just the local buses in St. Louis. I will try this next time.

 

[Railman10]

If you look on the TNW website (tarifverbundNordWestSchweiz) then your questiosn are answered.

http://www.tnw.ch/en/tickets-preise/grenzueberschreitende-angebote/angebote-ch-f/einzelbillette

Basically you need a 2 zone ticket. If you push the right hand button on the green ticket machine (something like cross-border tickets) that'll take you where you want.

On the trams it will be BVB (Basel Transport) ticket inspectors that will check you, don't know about the buses but you board the Distribus buses at the front and show the driver so he'll put you right. If a BVB inspector catches you then it will be expensive (100 CHF), and, if they're anything like their Zürcher counterparts, they are not at home to excuses.On the other hand Baslers do tend to be a bit more laid back so you might just get told where you went wrong.

By the way the French Leymen stop on the BLT route out to Rodersdorf sits in zone 12 according to the map so I think Swiss tickets will be valid there.

On the Basel Network Map LEYMEN is bordered by a green dotted line to indicate that it is in France and NOT included in the Basel ticket zones. The Basel tickets issued by hotels covers Zones 10, 11 15 and the customs free road to the Airport (Bus 50) covered by Zone 13. You can buy a zone extension ticket to cover trips across the borders from the ticket machines, which are in English and quite easy to follow.

 

[Gordon]

A similar situation applies in Geneve. I have a 'GA' type annual Swiss Pass (even though resident in UK) and to visit my relatives I need to get across into France. To get into France you buy a 'prolongation' ticket from the stop machine or the machine on the bus. Although France is outside the GA zone, you can by the prolongation at the discount rate (although it is not half fare as any other internal Swiss ticket would be with my Swiss Pass card)

.