This blog offers a wealth of information to newcomers to Geneva: accommodation, food, healthcare, working for the UN, best tourist attractions, as well as many money saving tips...

Search This Blog

;-)

Saturday, 2 December 2017

TPG in Geneva - all you need to know on public transports


Have you ever struggled to find your way in Geneva public transport ? if yes, this article is for you. You will find here everything you need to know to never get lost in Geneva buses or tramways again.

Understanding the UNIRESO - network of bus and tramways

Geneva city centre plus surrounding cities or "communes", are all included in the "Zone 10": Lancy, Carouge, Onex, Chene-Bourg. Cologny until Hermance, and until Versoix on the other side, Veyrier, Perly & Chancy.

Beyond, well, it's France. Some zones have been defined and there is a possibility for the "frontaliers" to buy combined transportation cards. For example, a frontalier from Ferney-Voltaire working in Geneva city centre will want to buy a zone 10+87 ticket / bus card.
To identify the buses that cross the border, you'll notice that they are labeled with a Letter: F, Y, O, G, V, Z, D, M, N, K T.

How to buy your transportation ticket valid for bus, trolleybus, some train rides

Unless you have a monthly or annual pass, there is a possibility to buy your ticket either by SMS, on the machine at the bus stop or using the cartobus
A couple of things to know:
-not all ticket vending machines can take credit cards, but if they do, they'll accept PostFinance, Visa (including Electron), Mastercard, American Express, among others. All ticket machines will accept both euros and swiss francs
-there is a prepaid card called cart@bonus that you can top up and pay tickets off that card at the machine.
-old machines do not give you back change, so might be better to use your debit / credit card

How to buy a ticket by SMS

This is a very convenient way to get your ticket, here is how:
-note the code corresponding to the ticket you wish to buy (tpg1=Geneva area ; cj1=Day pass; cg91=Day pass after 9am)
-send that code to the number 788.
It is possible to buy tickets for neighbouring France zones from a French phone with the same 788 number using other codes (81=after Veigy border ; 84=beyond Bardonnex border ; 85= beyond La Plaine border ; 87= beyond Grand Saconnex douane). The 82 zone, beyond Moeillesulaz border, is not included, for some reason.

Note that TPG can be called toll-free (from both France and Switzerland) from the following number: 0800 022 021 20
The maps with zones are displayed are here (with magnifying glass): link to the TPG map of Geneva transportation zones.
The detailed map with all city centre buses and tramways stops including : TPG map of Geneva zone 10 buses and trolleybuses
The complete map with all surburban buses and tramways stops including the french side: link to the TPG map of Geneva+surroundings public transports.

0 comments:

Post a Comment