Many big cities seem to lack a stable and state-of-the-art public transportation system that is affordable, which is definitely not the case in Vienna. Learn how to get around the city, whether for work or leisure.
The local transportation network
The local public transportation system connects you around town with well-maintained trams, tracks and metro stations. It consists of four main forms: Tram (Strassenbahn), Metro (U-Bahn), Bus, and local trains (Schnellbahn/ S-Bahn).
Twenty-eight different tram lines are connecting you with different spots all over the town. For now, Vienna has five metro lines (there is a gap between U4 and U6 as they are currently building the new U5 line which should be up and running by 2024).
Sometimes buses are more efficient depending on where you plan to go. Their fleet consists of 42 bus lines that run in the daytime until 12.30 am and after that, the so-called night lines take over.
Service hours of all regular public transports are from Sunday to Thursday from around 5 am until 1 am. Friday and Saturday you can use the metro all night long
Ticket in Vienna
Thanks to former vice mayor Maria Vassilakou and her Green Party of Austria, the city has established a very reasonable price of the annual transportation pass for Viennese inhabitants. It will cost you only 365€ per year, so 1€ a day! And children under six years even ride for free! Isn't that great?
You can also find specific discounts for seniors and disabled people. If you bring your bike or your dog you have to buy a half-price ticket.
Buying tickets is effortless because you will find a ticket machine at every metro station. You can also buy them in tobacco stores (Trafik) or you can download the “Wiener Linien App,” which will also keep you informed about irregularities and provide you with a map and trip planner! You can also find machines on every tram. Be aware of bringing coins with you, and it might not be working, which does not count as an acceptable excuse for not having a ticket!
You won't find ticket checks like in Barcelona or London. It is all based on honesty and trust. There will be frequent checks from the so-called “Schwarzkappler”, and if you don't show a valid ticket, you will have to pay a fine of 103€ plus the actual ticket price. So do not even bother, because you never know what they will look like as they are dressed like anyone else! In case you cannot pay on the spot, the fine goes up to €135, but you can make arrangements to pay in instalments.
One thing that should also be mentioned at this point is that you can always choose between tickets that are already validated or some that you have to do that yourself manually in one of the small blue boxes at every metro station or right when you enter a bus or a tram.
The leading organisation behind all means of public transport is called “Wiener Linien.” You can choose between a single ticket that will allow you to go from A to B, no matter how many changes. The others are 24/48/72 hour tickets or a weekly, monthly, or annual pass.
If you buy one ticket, you can use it for all four types of transportation.
The only exceptions are busses operated by “ÖBB” that will bring you to the suburbs and even parts of the neighbouring county “Niederösterreich” and also the yellow tram which is for tourism purposes only!
For more information, take a look at the official Wiener Linien website!
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