Gothenburg

Vã¤Sttrafik'S Ticket System

Since 1 December 2009 you cannot buy tickets from the driver on any buses or trams in the Västtrafik system.

1, 3 or 30 day ticket

Tourists and others planning to travel everyday are advised to buy a 1, 3 or 30 day ticket. A blue card called the Västrafik card is charged with ticket information. They are bought at Västtrafik's service centres or from seven-eleven or Pressbyrån or some other stores. They cost 65 kr 1 day, 130 kr 3 days and 435 kr 30 days inside Gothenburg. One can also buy a tourist card from the tourist office which is valid as a tram/bus ticket and for museum entrance fees etc.

5 trips card

You could also get a five trips card, valid for exactly five trips for 87 kr. more information in Swedish

Single ticket

If you only travel occasionally, you can either buy tickets at 7-eleven, the Västtrafik "Tidpunkten" customer service centers, the Pressbyrån shops, from the blue ticket machines on the trams - which accepts coins or major credit cards, or via sms if you have a Swedish mobile phone account. During daytime the cost is 25 SEK for an adult within the city zone 22 SEK with sms ticket.

Prepaid card

If you will be travelling more often it might be a good idea to buy a prepaid västtrafik card that also gives a discount. This card can be charged with any amount at a time until the card contains a maximum of 1500 SEK. In addition you must pay a 50 SEK deposit which can be used in part to pay for your trip, but if any of the deposit money is used, another trip cannot be made until you recharge the card again. If you return the card to a Västtrafik service center the deposit will be refunded to you.

If you travel within one zone a fixed price is deducted from your card, which is SEK 16.50 for an adult within the Gothenburg zone at the time of writing. If you travel across a zone border the journey will be more expensive. With the exception of the southern part of tram no. 4 all stops from Krokslätts Torg to Mölndals Centrum the entire tram system lies within the Göteborg municipality.

The card is used by touching it to one of the card readers in the vehicle when you board. If you intend to travel in more than one zone you must press the + button on the card reader before touching in and also touch the card to the reader when exiting the vehicle otherwise, you will be charged for a journey to the terminal destination of the bus/tram. For tourists it's recommended you always touch in and out with the + button as the system will then always deduct the correct amount and you will not have to bother about the zones.

The Västrafik card can be bought from Västtrafik's service centres or from most convenience stores.

You can change freely between buses, ferries and trams 90 minutes after you first used your ticket. If you traveled in more than one zone the 90 minutes time will count from the time you disembarked in the last zone. When travelling between zones, remember to always touch in and touch out on each separate vehicle - otherwise you will be charged for each as separate journeys.

One should know that it might seem easy to get on one of the buses or trams without a valid ticket, but if a biljettkontrollant ticket controller would find out, you will be charged with a fee of 1200 SEK.

Gothenburg public transport network map, including the major bus lines, the ferry lines and a small map with tram and Stombuss lines. (http://www.vasttrafik.se/...)

By taxi

There are several taxi companies, for example Taxi Göteborg 031-650000, Taxi Kurir 031-272727 and Minitaxi 031-140140. Initial fare from 35 SEK, and then from 10 to 14 SEK/km. Every taxi must have comparing prices well visible according to law, example: (http://www.taxikurir.se/o...) and it's often placed in the window. No 1 is daytime, no 2 is rush hour and no 3 is for night time service, and then you see the initial fare, price per hour, price per kilometre and comparing prices for a typical journey.

Illegal taxis, called "svarttaxi", are operating, particularly during Friday and Saturday nights. They are generally cheaper, but using them is not advised, particularly for women or drunk passengers, since muggings and rapes have occurred involving illegal taxis.

By ship

Two ferry services run across the river; Älvsnabben is the regular ferry service with traffic every thirty minutes, and Älvsnabbare that only run between Rosenlund and Lindholmspiren free of charge during work hours. Besides transport, this can be a good way to see the city from the river.

Ferries to the southern archipelago run from Saltholmen, with three different lines: Vrångö line, Brännö Rödsten line and the less trafficated Förö line. The service runs once an hour or less.

Styrsöbolaget (http://www.styrsobolaget.com/) run the ferry services under licence of Västtrafik - you can still use the city public transport ticket. On their homepage can you find time tables and more information about the islands.

By Tram

Gothenburg has a famous network of trams that covers most of the city. With over 150 km the Gothenburg tram is the largest light rail network in Scandinavia. The network consists of 12 tram lines, 1 to 11 and 13, and every line except no 8 passes through the main tram stop Brunnsparken 'Well Park'. It is located one tram stop or a 2 minute walk from the train station, Centralstationen. The trams runs approximately every 8-10 minutes during daylight and twice every hour at night, at weekends the trams run every 15-30 minutes. Notice that not all lines runs nighttime.This and the boats Paddan operating from Kungsportsplatsen is the best way to see the city as they run above ground at a comfortable yet quick pace.

Gothenburg tram and Stombuss network map (http://www.vasttrafik.se/...)

By bus

Trams are the most efficient way to travel within the city centre, but if you're planning to go further you might need to go by bus. Bus lines heading in the same direction often departs from the same part of the city. No real equivalent thing to the tram stop Brunnsparken exists - they are divided into several "smaller" hubs, which you often reach by tram.