The cost of public transport in Switzerland is going up, and that includes the Tarifverbund Nordwestschweiz (TNW) that provides public transport in Basel and surrounding areas. When the timetable changed on December 10, 2023, the TNW increased their fare prices by an average of 4.4%. The last increase occurred 7 years ago, and the accumulated inflation since then is estimated at 6.9%. The increases in operating costs are driven by higher costs for wages, interest expenses, maintenance, and energy/fuel. The TNW also notes that there have been significant improvements for customers since the last fare increase, including the added validity of the U-Abo trinationally without extra charge (since 2021); the flexible start day to the U-Abo; and the general expansion to the public transport system, including new vehicle fleet, new technologies such as e-busses, improvements to passenger information systems, and ticket purchasing options via mobile phone apps.

Here are some of the main points of the various fare changes, which least affect loyal customers; there are also some changes in the ticket conditions that may be advantageous to you.

• The price of individual tickets has increased by 6.4%, with individual tickets for travel in 1 zone increasing from CHF 3.80 to CHF 4.20 for adults and from CHF 2.60 to CHF 2.90 for youths and holders of the Halbtax Abo (half-fare card). On the positive side, individual tickets are now valid for travel in any direction for the duration of their validity, which can be a cost savings when you have a relatively quick turnaround. For example, if you want to run a quick errand in town on a single ticket, you can go there and back on the same ticket, as long as your trip is completed within the validity period printed on the ticket (ie, 1 hour for 1 zone, 1.5 hours for 2 zones, 2 hours for 3-7 zones, and 3 hours for 8 zones).
• The price of “Kurzstrecke” (short-distance) tickets has increased from CHF 2.30 to CHF 2.60 for adults and from CHF 1.80 to CHF 2.00 for youths and holders of the Halbtax Abo. The Kurzstrecke ticket, which is valid for 30 minutes including transfers and for 4 stops from the point of boarding, is also now valid for travel in any direction.
• You can avoid the fare increase entirely by purchasing multi-trip tickets with six trips, as the price of these has remained unchanged. The multi-trip ticket is available both as a punch-card that can be validated each time you start your journey, or as a digital ticket via the TNW Tickets app.
• While both the single ticket and the multi-trip ticket can be used in all directions within the period of validity and the selected zone(s), cross-border traffic can still only be done in one direction.
• The price for the monthly U-Abo subscription has increased by CHF 6 for adults and by CHF 4 for youths.
• The prices of annual subscriptions has increased less—by CHF 24 per year (or CHF 2 per month) for adults and by CHF 12 (or CHF 1 per month) for youth. With these changes, the cost of a 12-month U-Abo now corresponds to 9.6 monthly U-Abos.

Note that even after these latest fare adjustments, the TNW has favorable rates compared nationally, both for single trips and for subscriptions. The TNW is also one of the few collective bargaining associations in Switzerland that caters to senior citizens and welfare (IV) recipients.

For more information on TNW ticket prices, see https://www.tnw.ch/en/tickets-und-preise-uebersicht.

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