Public transport Lucerne public transport authority abolishes cash payment on buses

Paying for tickets on buses with cash will no longer be possible in Lucerne and the surrounding area from the timetable change in December. This was decided by the Lucerne Transport Association in consultation with the transport companies, as announced on Monday.

All lines of the Lucerne transport company, including the night star lines, as well as the bus lines 40 to 46 in the local traffic of Auto AG Rothenburg are affected by the changeover, the Lucerne Transport Association (VVL) wrote in a press release.

From December 15, tickets can be paid for contactlessly, i.e. with bank cards or payment apps. It will still be possible to buy tickets at ticket machines and points of sale with cash. There are still "numerous and customer-friendly alternatives for paying with cash", VVL said in response to an inquiry from the Keystone-SDA news agency. A complete abolition of cash payments is not planned.

The VVL and the transport companies hope that the measure will result in smoother travel operations. In addition, the administrative effort - such as counting and the daily settlement of receipts - would be eliminated. Contactless payment should also increase the safety of transport service employees, wrote the VVL.

Parliament wants to prevent cashless public transport

In June, the Federal Parliament voted in favor of allowing tickets on public transport to be paid for with cash in the future. The Federal Council should draw up a bill or other suitable measures to ensure that subsidized transport companies in Switzerland also accept cash or a simple alternative that works without a smartphone, according to a motion by Manuela Weichelt (Greens/ZG).

Cost pressure in public transport could lead to transport companies dispensing with coin-operated machines and cash registers in vehicles. However, according to the law, everyone is still required to accept coins and banknotes as payment, said Weichelt.

The Federal Council requested that the motion be accepted. Cash acceptance is enshrined in the Federal Act on Currency and Payment Instruments.