By the end of this year, it will no longer be possible to purchase tickets on buses in Zurich, the cantonal transport association (ZVV) has confirmed. While the decision was sparked by a dramatic fall in demand, plans are already afoot to host a referendum on the issue, with some arguing the change will negatively affect the elderly.

Zurich bus drivers will no longer sell tickets by the end of 2024

Speaking to the Tages-Anzeiger, ZVV spokesperson Cristina Maurer confirmed that by the end of 2024, it will no longer be possible to purchase tickets for public transport on buses in Canton Zurich. Soon, the only tickets that drivers will be able to sell are so-called time tickets - time-limited passes that can be used to ride the bus to the next ticket machine, which have to be paid for by card.

The change will be gradual, having already started with eight PostBus routes in and around Knonauer Amt, Andelfingen and the Zurich Oberland. “The changeover has gone largely smoothly so far”, Maurer said, adding that the next routes to be phased out will be communicated ahead of time.

How to buy a ticket in Zurich without a smartphone

For those who don’t have a smart mobile phone to buy tickets or do not have a ticket machine at their bus stop, ZVV confirmed that a new hands-free system is now available. Users are able to call a free number (0800 988 988) and order a ticket via ZVV customer service. This ticket is then loaded onto their SwissPass. 

For those who don’t have a SwissPass, the card can be issued for free at staffed ZVV sales points. Families will also be able to use the ZVV mobile app to buy a ticket, which they can then load onto their child’s SwissPass.

ZVV explained that the main driver behind the change is the fact that ticket sales on buses have been declining precipitously, a phenomenon that accelerated during the COVID pandemic. At the same time, the ticket sales machines within the buses themselves are coming to the end of their working life, making now the ideal time to phase the system out.

Pirate Party of Zurich launches referendum against only online systems

Nevertheless, the change has led to criticism from some groups, who argue that the change will negatively affect less digitally literate people and those without easy access to debit and credit cards (i.e. children and the elderly). On Sunday, the Zurich Pirate Party announced that it would soon submit a referendum, which if approved would guarantee the right “to a life without a cell phone.”

Specifically, the vote would guarantee the right to be forgotten online, the right to live offline, the right to be judged by a human not a machine during recruitment processes for jobs and the right not to be monitored and analysed when online. If approved, the referendum would also likely prohibit transport providers from phasing out physical tickets and ticket machines.

Internet connection now essential for modern life in Zurich, Pirate Party argues

"Citizens are being forced by the post office, banks, authorities and the economy in general to hand over their data in order to be able to participate in social and economic life and to meet their basic needs," noted Zurich Pirate Party General Secretary Monica Amgwerd. Supporters hope that the vote will force the cantonal government to guarantee non-digital services long into the future, including physical ticket sales.

Amgwerd announced that around 9.000 signatures have been collected in favour of the referendum, 3.000 more than what is required. There is a strong chance that the vote will be approved too - in June 2023, a similar proposal was approved in Geneva with 94 percent of the vote.

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