Léman Pass

Cross-border integration of public transport in the Geneva area goes back several decades. In 2019, however, the creation of a new fare system, the Léman Pass, has further strengthened cooperation between the two Swiss cantons (Geneva, Vaud) and two French departments (Ain, Haute-Savoie) that are affected by the Geneva catchment area. The introduction of the new ticketing system required the cooperation of 9 authorities and 17 operating organisations, allowing cross-border public transport using a single ticket.

The system is based on the zoning of Geneva and its catchment area, which provides a framework for setting fares. The use of the Léman Pass is only valid within these zones, outside of which national tariffs apply. The zones have been established not only for the border areas but also for the municipalities further away from the border, even in the Geneva area. When changing tickets, it is compulsory to specify the zones to be affected during the journey, one of which must be Geneva. As the route must cross the national border in all cases, it is not possible to buy a ticket for only one French zone.

In the spirit of multimodal transport, the new tickets are valid for trains, trams, local buses and long-distance buses. The main principle is that all tickets are valid from the point of departure to the destination, even if you have to change transport during the journey.

The Léman Pass serves the needs of both the local population and tourists visiting the area, with a range of ticket types including season tickets and short term tickets. There are single-use tickets (valid for a single journey), multi-zone tickets (giving free movement within the zones), complementary tickets (which can be redeemed in addition to the national ticket), cross-border hop-on hop-off tickets (valid for the nearest 2 stops from the border), season tickets (valid for 1 day, 5 days, 1 month or the whole journey), and tickets for bicycles and pets.

The validity of tickets varies. In addition to season tickets and one-way tickets, tickets for zones adjacent to the border are subject to a 90-minute time limit, while other tickets (e.g. for remote zones) are subject to a 180-minute time limit. To help you find your way between different ticket types, a map and trip planner are published on the website. Tickets are priced in the currency of the ticket vendor, which uses a fixed exchange rate set at the same time as the fare. Tickets can be purchased at traditional sales points. Age-related discounts are also available for Léman Pass tickets.

The ticketing system and cooperation will be maintained, after 2019, through the creation of a joint transport association (Transport Associations Management Ltd). The association will be responsible for the coordination of the two public transport companies (Swiss and French), as well as for reporting, accounting and distribution of the revenue generated from the charges.[1]

[1] Link: https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/studies/public-transport-cross-border/transport-cross-border-study.pdf