General subscription

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General subscription
General subscription Logo.svg
Prices 1st class: 6,300 CHF
2nd class: 3,860 CHF
Number of users 494,058 (2018)

The general subscription (GA) ( French subscription général (AG) , Italian Abbonamento generale (AG) , Rhaeto-Romanic Abunament general (AG) , English GA travelcard ), short General-Abo , is a subscription to public transport in Switzerland , which allows free travel - Almost - granted to the entire public transport network in Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein .

From August 1, 2015, the general subscription will be integrated into the new SwissPass , which contains two chips, when purchased .

history

Use of the general subscription
year Number of GA
1963 8,758
1970 <8,000
1989 38,330
1999 220,000
2006 300,000
2010 405,000
2011 425,099
2012 441,618
2013 443,724
2016 472,000
2017 480,000
2018 490,000

The first general subscription was introduced in 1898 on the initiative of the Association of Working Travelers and the Nordostbahn. At that time, 15 Swiss railways with a total length of 3,195 kilometers were involved in this general subscription. The general subscription initially cost 420 francs for the second class and 300 francs for the third class; it also replaced the Half-Fare travelcard introduced in 1891 . In 1917, the general subscription became unattractive due to a lack of coal deliveries, especially from Germany, and thus a lack of travel opportunities. In 1918 the sale of the general season ticket was temporarily stopped. The half-fare card was reintroduced in 1918.

Until the end of the twenties, the scope was continuously expanded. It grew to 5'502 kilometers in 1929. So that the price did not have to be increased, the integration of further transport companies was stopped, but twenty years later another 6,500 new network kilometers were added, which, however, could only be used at the half-fare tariff. These new network kilometers included, for example, the post bus lines over the Klausen Pass and the railway line from Visp to Zermatt . In 1990 the local transport companies of the 24 largest cities were added to the general subscription network. Today the general subscription is fully valid for around 23,500 kilometers. The majority of the network is made up of the postbus network with 10,350 kilometers. The general subscription has been sold in credit card format since 1996. Since then, the subscription has been equipped with various security features designed to make counterfeiting more difficult.

On January 1, 2009, the Swiss Federal Railways changed the design. This was now partially transparent and should thus contribute to even more security. SBB's employee subscriptions were issued in a transparent design beforehand.

Importance of the GA travelcard

The general subscription is the top product of the Swiss tariff system in public transport, and was only made possible by this. With the GA, the customer can travel practically regardless of the destination and the transport company used with just one ticket. The general subscription is valid for all major railways, almost all private railways; on the entire post bus network and with most other bus companies as well as with most urban transport companies (bus, tram) and many shipping lines. The subscription differs fundamentally from network cards in other countries, such as the BahnCard 100 in Germany or the ÖSTERREICHCARD in Austria, which are mainly valid with the respective railway company. However, an attempt is also made here to follow the example of the general subscription. In Germany, since the introduction of the so-called City-Ticket in 2003 , it has been possible to use inner-city traffic in selected cities within certain tariff limits. The Austria ticket failed in 2009 for financial reasons.

As a disadvantage of the GA travelcard, it is occasionally suggested that, despite the very dense transport network in Switzerland, not all villages - especially in mountainous areas and in the off-peak hours - are accessible, and it is therefore not possible to do without a car completely. The problem is partially alleviated by new offers such as the on- call bus or can be solved by car sharing (holders of general season tickets receive discounts from Mobility , the largest Swiss car sharing company that operates parking spaces at train stations).

Prices

GA price development
date 2nd class GA travelcard 1st class GA travelcard Q
1990 2150 Fr.
1991 2300 Fr.
1992 2,450 CHF
1993 2500 Fr.
1995 2600 Fr.
12/02/1998 2600 Fr. 4200 Fr.
02/24/1999 2800 Fr. 4,400 CHF
12/09/2000 2800 Fr. 4,400 CHF
05.12.2001 2900 Fr. 4600 Fr.
12/28/2002 2900 Fr. 4600 Fr.
12/17/2003 2900 Fr. 4600 Fr.
12/12/2004 2990 Fr. 4700 Fr.
12/28/2005 2990 Fr. 4700 Fr.
12/11/2006 2990 Fr. 4700 Fr.
12/09/2007 3100 Fr. 4850 Fr.
12/29/2008 3100 Fr. 4850 Fr.
2009 3100 Fr. 4850 Fr.
12/12/2010 3300 Fr. 5150 Fr.
12/11/2011 3350 Fr. 5350 Fr.
12/09/2012 3550 Fr. 5800 Fr.
2013 3550 Fr. 5800 Fr.
12/14/2014 3655 Fr. 5970 Fr.
05.12.2015 3655 Fr. 5970 Fr.
12/11/2016 3860 Fr. 6300 Fr.
2018 3860 Fr. 6300 Fr.

The GA can be purchased by all natural and legal persons. In 2019, the annual price for the GA travelcard is 3,860 Swiss francs in the second class and 6,300 francs in the first class. There are discounts of up to 75 percent for families. Juniors and seniors, students up to 30 years of age and travelers with a disability also receive the general subscription cheaper. In relation to the increased need for mobility, the number of GA travelcards also increased. Whereas in 1980 there were only just under 10,000 subscriptions in circulation, the GA reached 443,724 subscriptions on November 20, 2013.

Up until 2005, companies were able to purchase a transferable general subscription, which was delivered as 365 day tickets and could then be sold. Now this is reserved for the municipalities, which can sell the cards to the municipality residents for 30 to 45 francs. After the change in 2005, companies received general season tickets in the form of plastic cards. Since the 2011/2012 timetable change, companies have no longer been able to buy company general season tickets, the sale of which has been discontinued by the Association of Public Transport (VöV).

Discounts are granted for married couples, families and shared apartments, provided that at least one person buys a general subscription at full price. For example, a general season ticket for young adults up to 25 years of age who still live with their parents costs 925 CHF per year, provided one parent has a general season ticket.

General subscriptions are also available for dogs from a shoulder height of 30 centimeters and for bicycles (under the name Velo-Pass). A GA travelcard for dogs costs CHF 805 in both first and second class. Tourists can purchase the “ Swiss Travel Pass ” during their stay in Switzerland , which works like a general season ticket while it is valid.

As the “little sister” of the general travelcard , the Half-Fare travelcard is sold for 165 francs per year (with seamless renewals) or 185 francs for new contracts, with which all companies involved in the Swiss tariff system offer a discount of usually 50% on the regular price. Until the introduction of the SwissPass, there was the option of purchasing a half-fare card with a validity period of two (330 francs) or three years (450 francs).

Surcharges for night trains and night buses are not included in the GA travelcard and must be purchased separately.

Additional services

With the purchase of a general subscription, the owner receives free travel on most public transport in Switzerland, as mentioned above. With all other companies, the general subscription gives at least the same discount as a Half-Fare travelcard. This means that on these mountain railways, bus companies and shipping lines a discount of usually 50 percent, in some cases 25 percent, is granted.

When traveling to some European countries, holders of a GA travelcard receive a 15 percent discount in combination with the RailPlus card. For Austria and Germany, this discount is granted for cross-border tickets even without a RailPlus card. For trips to Austria, the reduction with a so-called Plan and Spar is almost 50 percent, provided that it is a return trip with an overnight stay at the destination on the weekend.

Holders of a GA travelcard also receive a discount on Mobility Carsharing and a discount or free of charge on numerous ancillary services provided by Deutsche Bahn ( e.g. luggage transport, lost property service ). After all, they receive discount stamps several times a year for various excursions. Holders of a general rail pass the first class had in the former SBB Lounge in Zurich and, since 2 July 2007 free admission to all lounges waiting rooms of the called Railteam merged railway companies.

See also

Web links

Wiktionary: GA  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ All GA travelcards at a glance. Swiss Federal Railways SBB, accessed on May 10, 2015 .
  2. ↑ Thomas Angeli: Explosive plans: Will it soon be more expensive for GA owners? In: observer.ch . May 8, 2019, accessed May 8, 2019 .
  3. ↑ L'abonnement général. Montez simplement. CFF AG (Swiss Federal Railways SBB), accessed on May 10, 2015 (French).
  4. ↑ L'abbonamento generale. Salite a bordo e via! FFS AG (Swiss Federal Railways SBB), accessed on May 10, 2015 (Italian).
  5. ↑ Da l'elecziun fin a la demissiun. The Federal Council , April 22, 2015, accessed on May 10, 2015 (Romansh).
  6. ↑ The GA travelcard. Simply climb on board. Swiss Federal Railways SBB, accessed on May 10, 2015 (English).
  7. ↑ SwissPass - the key to your mobility. Swiss Federal Railways SBB, accessed on June 22, 2015 .
  8. ↑ SwissPass. In: swisspass.ch. Swiss Federal Railways SBB, accessed on June 22, 2015 .
  9. ↑ a b c voev.ch: History of the GA (PDF file; 80 kB), accessed on June 14, 2008
  10. ↑ Swiss Federal Railways: ( Page no longer available , search in web archives: “Annual and Sustainability Report 2012” ) (PDF; 7.1 MB), accessed on July 15, 2013@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.sbb.ch
  11. ↑ Swiss Federal Railways: “Annual and Sustainability Report 2016” (PDF; 7.5 MB), accessed on June 6, 2016
  12. ↑ https://reporting.sbb.ch/_file/343/die-sbb-in-zahlen-und-ffekten-2017.pdf
  13. ↑ https://reporting.sbb.ch/_file/442/die-sbb-in-zahlen-und-ffekten-2018.pdf
  14. ↑ schweizweit.net: SBB General Subscription: Transparent and forgery-proof ( Memento from December 3, 2008 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on July 18, 2008
  15. ↑ http://derstandard.at/1234509430157/
  16. ↑ a b c d e f g Federal Department of Economics, Education and Research EAER: Development of travel costs in road and rail traffic. An investigation based on five exemplary routes in Switzerland. Bern, June 2013
  17. ↑ Basic GA travelcard. In: sbb.ch. Swiss Federal Railways , 1998, archived from the original on December 2, 1998 ; accessed on July 3, 2019 .
  18. ↑ Basic GA travelcard. In: sbb.ch. Swiss Federal Railways , 1999, archived from the original on February 24, 1999 ; accessed on July 3, 2019 .
  19. ↑ Basic GA travelcard. In: sbb.ch. Swiss Federal Railways , 2000, archived from the original on December 9, 2000 ; accessed on July 3, 2019 .
  20. ↑ Basic GA travelcard. In: sbb.ch. Swiss Federal Railways , 2001, archived from the original on December 5, 2001 ; accessed on July 3, 2019 .
  21. ↑ Basic GA travelcard. In: sbb.ch. Swiss Federal Railways , 2002, archived from the original on December 28, 2002 ; accessed on July 3, 2019 .
  22. ↑ The GA prices. In: sbb.ch. Swiss Federal Railways , 2003, archived from the original on December 17, 2003 ; accessed on July 3, 2019 .
  23. ↑ ktipp.ch: Train commuters: subscription or GA? , Accessed July 2, 2019
  24. ↑ a b c ticketinfo.ch: The price adjustments for direct traffic for the 2014 timetable change , accessed on July 2, 2019
  25. ↑ General subscription - prices. In: sbb.ch. Swiss Federal Railways , 2005, archived from the original on December 28, 2005 ; accessed on July 3, 2019 .
  26. ↑ General subscription - prices. In: sbb.ch. Swiss Federal Railways , 2006, archived from the original on December 11, 2006 ; accessed on July 3, 2019 .
  27. ↑ General subscription - prices. In: sbb.ch. Swiss Federal Railways , 2007, archived from the original on December 15, 2007 ; accessed on July 3, 2019 .
  28. ↑ General subscription - prices. In: sbb.ch. Swiss Federal Railways , 2008, archived from the original on December 29, 2008 ; accessed on July 3, 2019 .
  29. ↑ General subscription - prices. In: sbb.ch. Swiss Federal Railways , 2010, archived from the original on March 10, 2010 ; accessed on July 3, 2019 .
  30. ↑ a b c d ticketinfo.ch: The price adjustments for direct traffic for the 2016 timetable change , accessed on July 2, 2019
  31. ↑ All GA travelcards at a glance. In: sbb.ch. Swiss Federal Railways , 2010, archived from the original on January 22, 2014 ; accessed on July 3, 2019 .
  32. ↑ An overview of all GA travelcards on the SwissPass. In: sbb.ch. Swiss Federal Railways , 2015, archived from the original on December 5, 2015 ; accessed on July 3, 2019 .
  33. ↑ All GA travelcards at a glance. In: sbb.ch. Swiss Federal Railways , 2019, archived from the original on March 25, 2019 ; accessed on July 3, 2019 .
  34. ↑ tagesschau.sf.tv: SBB is abolishing the transferable GA travelcard , accessed on November 20, 2013
  35. ↑ sbb.ch: GA for the family , accessed on August 1, 2015
  36. ↑ sbb.ch: Half-Fare Card , accessed June 15, 2008
  37. ↑ sbb.ch: General subscription , accessed on June 15, 2008
  38. ↑ a b c sbb.ch: Bonus / additional offers ( memento from June 24, 2013 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on June 15, 2008