 | | 
06.09.2011, 18:39
| Senior Member | | Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: near Schaffhausen
Posts: 477
Groaned at 8 Times in 3 Posts
Thanked 169 Times in 69 Posts
| | Will a halbtax abo be worth it
We are a family of 6, 3 kids above 6 and 1 under.
I was at the SBB SH office today and couldn't decide if the Halbtax abo is worth it for us.
I am going to Zurich by train thursday but only with the youngest.
I am not sure how much we will use the train in the future. But it also says that you get discount by some of the ski-lifts and cable cars etc.
Anyone in the same position who did or did not buy the Halbtax abo who can advice me?
Thanks
| 
06.09.2011, 18:48
|  | Forum Veteran | | Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: out n about - it's summer!
Posts: 2,206
Groaned at 8 Times in 8 Posts
Thanked 3,572 Times in 1,327 Posts
| | Re: Will a halbtax abo be worth it
Where are your usual holiday haunts (thinking skiing/cable cars here). Have a look at their websites and see what sort of reductions you can get. They are generally not half price reductions (sometimes are) but are nevertheless, very good. This will give you an idea of how much you could potentially save on non rail trips.
They are also valid on buses and boats (for example, Lakes Lucerne and Zurich). Do you ever use these?
Finally do not underestimate the extra use you will make of these transports once you know that you are benefiting from these reductions ... I found this with the Halbtax and even more so now I have got a GA.
But if with all your children, logistics of a public transport trip are not thinkable, then this will obviously largely mitigate against it ....
On the whole, I would say if you make just 6 big rail trips in the year (along the lines of your Zurich trip), you will recoup the cost.
| The following 2 users would like to thank ecb for this useful post: | | 
06.09.2011, 18:49
|  | Forum Veteran | | Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Luzern
Posts: 1,516
Groaned at 1 Time in 1 Post
Thanked 1,594 Times in 758 Posts
| | Re: Will a halbtax abo be worth it
You know there is also a junior card, which costs 30 CHF and will give your over-6 children free travel for a year if they are with you ? http://www.sbb.ch/en/travelcards-and...dchildren.html
If you buy cards for all three children at the same time, you will get one for free.
| The following 2 users would like to thank stephen_NE for this useful post: | | 
06.09.2011, 18:49
| | Re: Will a halbtax abo be worth it
For your children aged 6 & over you can buy a Junior Travelcard, then they travel free when with their mother or their father.
Junior travelcard.
With the Junior travelcard for CHF 30, children aged 6 to 16 years may travel on public transport all year free of charge when accompanied by a parent with a valid ticket or abonnement. http://www.sbb.ch/en/travelcards-and.../children.html | The following 3 users would like to thank for this useful post: | | 
06.09.2011, 18:52
|  | Forum Veteran | | Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Luzern
Posts: 1,516
Groaned at 1 Time in 1 Post
Thanked 1,594 Times in 758 Posts
| | Re: Will a halbtax abo be worth it | Quote: | |  | | | For your children aged 6 & over you can buy a Junior Travelcard, then they travel free when with their mother or their father.
Junior travelcard.
With the Junior travelcard for CHF 30, children aged 6 to 16 years may travel on public transport all year free of charge when accompanied by a parent with a valid ticket or abonnement. http://www.sbb.ch/en/travelcards-and.../children.html | | | | | Beat you by 10 seconds | This user would like to thank stephen_NE for this useful post: | | 
06.09.2011, 18:56
| | Re: Will a halbtax abo be worth it | Quote: | |  | | | On the whole, I would say if you make just 6 big rail trips in the year (along the lines of your Zurich trip), you will recoup the cost. | | | | | Actually, two big trips will do it: e.g. a trip to geneva and a trip to graubunden will pretttttttty much cover the cost of a year's halbtax.
| This user would like to thank for this useful post: | | 
06.09.2011, 18:56
|  | Forum Veteran | | Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Bern
Posts: 725
Groaned at 11 Times in 10 Posts
Thanked 893 Times in 397 Posts
| | Re: Will a halbtax abo be worth it | Quote: | |  | | | But if with all your children, logistics of a public transport trip are not thinkable, then this will obviously largely mitigate against it ....
On the whole, I would say if you make just 6 big rail trips in the year (along the lines of your Zurich trip), you will recoup the cost. | | | | | Second that. If you just make a few bigger trips on the weekends and use buses or trams sometimes, it is usually worth it.
Just do the comparison for a few bigger trips (mountains, Geneva, etc.) on sbb.ch
You can also get a junior travelcard for your older kids (30 chuffs, basically free train/bus/boat rides for the whole year). Dammit, I am really really slow... | This user would like to thank SamWeiseVielleicht for this useful post: | | 
06.09.2011, 18:58
|  | Forum Veteran | | Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Luzern
Posts: 1,516
Groaned at 1 Time in 1 Post
Thanked 1,594 Times in 758 Posts
| | Re: Will a halbtax abo be worth it
Some of the "RailAway" tourist deals and the "Snow & Rail" train plus skilift packages also become very interesting indeed with a Halbtax.
| This user would like to thank stephen_NE for this useful post: | | 
06.09.2011, 18:59
|  | Forum Veteran | | Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: out n about - it's summer!
Posts: 2,206
Groaned at 8 Times in 8 Posts
Thanked 3,572 Times in 1,327 Posts
| | Re: Will a halbtax abo be worth it | Quote: | |  | | | Actually, two big trips will do it: e.g. a trip to geneva and a trip to graubunden will pretttttttty much cover the cost of a year's halbtax. | | | | | actually yes .. in light of the probable price of a Schaffhausen-Zurich trip, you will need quite a few of these to make up the price of a halbtax ...
| 
06.09.2011, 19:04
| Senior Member | | Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: near Schaffhausen
Posts: 477
Groaned at 8 Times in 3 Posts
Thanked 169 Times in 69 Posts
| | Re: Will a halbtax abo be worth it
Thanks everyone...The junior cards sound very good, we haven't gone on boat trips yet but I am sure we will do some of those.
| 
06.09.2011, 19:09
| Forum Legend | | Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: na
Posts: 11,465
Groaned at 37 Times in 33 Posts
Thanked 27,307 Times in 8,428 Posts
| | Re: Will a halbtax abo be worth it
If you can estimate at least the minimum travel you are likely to do in the next 1,2, or 3 years you can do the math to see if the Abo is worthwhile, or not.
For instance, I'm an infrequent traveler, only using public transportation to get to ZH city and back once a month - yet the Halbtax still makes sense for me:
A three year Halbtax Abo costs CHF 400. Paying for it with REKA checks brings the price down to 320 - that means the abo costs 107 per year.
As said, I travel to ZH city once a month; the most efficient ticket for me is the 9 Uhr all-zone pass. I get the 6 ride Mehrfahrkart, 65.00 with Halbtax. 129 without.
So the cost of my yearly travel, 12 trips into the city, would be:
2 regular priced 6 ride cards - (129 + 129 ) = 258.
2 Halbtax 6 ride cards plus 1 year's worth of the Abo (65+65 +107) = 237
Any additional travel or use on the mountain cable cars or boats makes the savings greater.
Last edited by meloncollie; 06.09.2011 at 20:17.
Reason: Can't add, type and cook dinner at the same time
| 
06.09.2011, 19:13
|  | Forum Veteran | | Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Zürich
Posts: 1,069
Groaned at 3 Times in 3 Posts
Thanked 527 Times in 323 Posts
| | Re: Will a halbtax abo be worth it
I have a car, but bought a halbtax anyway. I figured, I probably use the Public transport in Zürich more often than every 2 weeks, and that would almost break even. Then I am just need to join 1 or 2 social train trips somewhere, and then I start saving. Without the Halbtax, I declined most train trips, as they were just too expensive, and took the car instead.
Doc.
| This user would like to thank Doctor for this useful post: | | 
06.09.2011, 19:17
| | Re: Will a halbtax abo be worth it | Quote: | |  | | | Thanks everyone...The junior cards sound very good, we haven't gone on boat trips yet but I am sure we will do some of those. | | | | | I vaguely remember a conversation (or rather an explanation) I had when I arrived in sunny CH. It basically ran along the lines of "Almost everyone has a 1/2tax, so yes it would make sense to just chop all the fares by 50%, especially taking into account the cost of administering the whole thing, but then some people would lose their halb-tax-administering jobs, and we wouldn't be able to fleece the tourists ".
Perhaps taking the "one year" option initially might be worth considering?
| The following 2 users would like to thank for this useful post: | | 
06.09.2011, 19:37
| Senior Member | | Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: near Schaffhausen
Posts: 477
Groaned at 8 Times in 3 Posts
Thanked 169 Times in 69 Posts
| | Re: Will a halbtax abo be worth it
"The Junior card.
With the Junior travelcard for CHF 30, children aged 6 to 16 years can travel on public transport for a whole year, accompanied by a parent with a valid ticket."
So If I read this correctly I can take all 3 kids above 6 for free with these passes on the train, it is not 1 parent - 1 kid free kind of rule....
| 
06.09.2011, 19:41
|  | Forum Veteran | | Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: out n about - it's summer!
Posts: 2,206
Groaned at 8 Times in 8 Posts
Thanked 3,572 Times in 1,327 Posts
| | Re: Will a halbtax abo be worth it
[QUOTE=SwissAstrid;1329502
So If I read this correctly I can take all 3 kids above 6 for free with these passes on the train, it is not 1 parent - 1 kid free kind of rule....[/QUOTE]
Correct - it is not 1 parent 1 child, you can take them all with you.
Also the junior cards are valid for a lot of mountain transport and all boats on Lakes Lucerne and Zurich .. so you can get quite far for not very much. It's brilliant!
Plus if you have grandparents to stay quite often, you can get a grandparent card that works the same way so they can take the children out too. | This user would like to thank ecb for this useful post: | | 
06.09.2011, 19:52
| Senior Member | | Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: near Schaffhausen
Posts: 477
Groaned at 8 Times in 3 Posts
Thanked 169 Times in 69 Posts
| | Re: Will a halbtax abo be worth it | Quote: | |  | | | Correct - it is not 1 parent 1 child, you can take them all with you.
Also the junior cards are valid for a lot of mountain transport and all boats on Lakes Lucerne and Zurich .. so you can get quite far for not very much. It's brilliant!
Plus if you have grandparents to stay quite often, you can get a grandparent card that works the same way so they can take the children out too.  | | | | | Thanks, I will go and get it tomorrow, I need 8 Zurich trips in 1 year and I happen to like the buzz of big cities!
| This user would like to thank SwissAstrid for this useful post: | | 
06.09.2011, 19:54
|  | Forum Veteran | | Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: out n about - it's summer!
Posts: 2,206
Groaned at 8 Times in 8 Posts
Thanked 3,572 Times in 1,327 Posts
| | Re: Will a halbtax abo be worth it
Enjoy! (and squeeze in some of the those boat trips I've been raving about !!!) | This user would like to thank ecb for this useful post: | | 
06.09.2011, 21:22
|  | Forum Veteran | | Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Phoenix AZ, USA
Posts: 1,299
Groaned at 1 Time in 1 Post
Thanked 930 Times in 460 Posts
| | Re: Will a halbtax abo be worth it
Yes, the Junior card is a total no-brainer. It's marvellous to take them on everything from the local bus to Morges, to the cable car to the top of the Champery mountains, for completely free! Plus kids usually love public transport.
You'll need to take their permits to buy the cards; passports work too.
| This user would like to thank kodokan for this useful post: | |
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests) | | Thread Tools | | Display Modes | Linear Mode |
Posting Rules
| You may not post new threads You may not post replies You may not post attachments You may not edit your posts HTML code is Off | | | All times are GMT +2. The time now is 15:52. | |