Hi!

Do you know if it is allowed to take a mountain bike on the tram, in Geneva? I've never seen any "do" or "don't" sign about it, but neither I have seen anyone taking their bike on the tram.

Thanks!

After quite a few links to links to links, starting from Google 'bicyclette tram geneve' > anglo info Geneva > Geneva Transport I found this. Hope it helps. It looks to me (my French isn't all that good) that ones which are pretending to be hand baggage and don't get in the way are OK; normally bikes are forbidden but accepted at the weekends and holidays.
This is without guarantee though - find someone to translate it to be sure.

Thanks a lot! That is basically a "no" for me. I live 10 minutes away from Cornavin, where I can take a tram which leaves me 15 minutes away from work, so I was thinking about taking the bike to avoid those walks, but it would be in the busiest hours.

Also it says that I would need to pay twice, one ticket for me and one for the bike...

You still could notice that you can take your bike if you can fold it.

Cependant, les vélos repliés rendus peu volumineux et assimilables à des bagages à main sont admis et transportés gratuitement à bord des véhicules pour autant qu'ils ne causent aucune gêne aux autres voyageurs.

However, the folded up bicycles made not very bulky and comparable to hand luggage are admitted and transported free on board vehicles in so far as they do not cause any embarrassment with the other travellers.

Have you considered a "trotinette" (micro scooter). The bigger wheeled types, now make longer distances possible, plus they fold down and are accepted on the buses near me, so I guess the same may be true for city trams - but you would need to confirm.

Sports shops such as Ochsner Sports and Athleticum have them for 100 - 150 chufs, and there are even electrical motorised ones (rechargeable Akkus).

e.g.

http://www.athleticum.ch/shop/produc...90-105278.html

Yes, that is another option, but I guess they are more expensive (and worse in general) than a regular bike.


I've seen a lot of people using those, and never realized that they are quite fast. But 100-150 chf for that? I thought they would be like 20...

Erm bike? on tram? ..........

You can get them for that ..... he did.

Even in Lausanne, where we have some of the most relaxed policies about bikes on local public transport, you cannot take one on during the rush hours.

Some folding bikes only take 30 seconds to brake down and build up at each end, but good, reliable ones are a fair amount of cash. Ones from major brands do tend to hold a decent amount of their value, though, and you might find a used one if you search for it. Folding bikes can be taken on all forms of public transport at any time of day (just like any other piece of luggage). In the UK, there was recently one train company that tried to limit their use, but I believe that plan was quickly squashed by people who had more sense.

In case anyone is interested, in Lausanne (in addition to your own ticket), the bike just needs a half-fare ticket that is valid for the zones you are going through. An SBB bike ticket is not valid even on the local metro trains - you need a local ticket. You can take bikes on any bus or metro train, but there is the provision that you can only do so "when space permits" - which generally means not during the rush hours or other busy times. There is often a bike symbol on one of the doors showing where there should be extra space for the bike. You need to stand with the bike the whole time - you are not allowed to leave it unsupported.

In most other parts of Switzerland, bikes are not permitted on local public transport. Lausanne is different partly due to the hilly nature of the terrain, which makes cycling less popular, but this drawback can be partly avoided if people can take the bus to get up the hills.

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Cycling in Switzerland | Photo blog (mostly travel pics from Switzerland)