You might recognise the title of this piece from the Beach Boys song, “I Get Around”. Believe it or not they played at the Lucerna Palace in on June 17th 1969, not long after the Soviet tanks rolled in. They returned some 50 years later in 2017, although only vocalist Mike Love had played at the previous gig. But this isn’t a music lesson so I’d best get back on track. Literally.
Having lived in Zurich for a couple of years, I was fairly sure that Swiss Public Transport was probably the best in the world. After all, they hold an internal enquiry if a railway train is late leaving the terminus by only a few seconds. Trams in Zurich are a little less predictable, but none the less still run as regularly as can be expected given ever increasing volume of traffic in the city.
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| Staromestska metro - for the old town square |
The red and white trams of Prague are almost as iconic as London’s red buses or New York’s yellow taxis, but when I first came to live here it was with a certain amount of trepidation. My first apartment was about a thirty minute journey from the office, without any direct route on public transport. I also had little idea how much it would cost me over the course of my six month stay. My fears were unfounded.
The public transport system in Prague is fantastic - and cheap. There are three metro lines which pretty much span the whole city (although currently none link up to the airport), and a vast tram and bus network. In common with many European cities, the ticketing system is based on trust. You are expected to have a valid ticket before you board anything, and tickets are so cheap it is a disgrace for anyone to attempt to defraud the network. All tickets are valid on any form of public transport within the city zone (which includes the airport, but doesn't include the Airport Express bus).
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| Older type tram in the lesser town |
A 30 minute ticket costs 24CZK (£0.80), 90 minutes cost 32CZK (£1.08), a 24 hour ticket is 110CZK (£3.75) or for 72 hours it is 310 CZK (£10.50). A monthly pass costs just over £60. In the four years since I started working in Prague the transport authorities have worked hard to make buying tickets as easy as possible. Tickets are available from ticket machines at metro stations, kiosks, and can be bought in advance as they do not become 'live' until you validate them.
More recently a number of apps have been made available on smart devices - my favourite is Sejf - which I top up from my bank account as required. This app can be used to buy e-tickets up to 72 hours - just bear in mind it takes 90 seconds for the e-ticket to become valid. Some newer trams also now have contactless ticket machines on-board so you can use your debit or credit card to get a ticket. In other words, there is no excuse not to have a valid ticket when you travel!
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| Mustek metro - for Wenceslas Square |
If you are caught (plain cloths ticket inspectors either travel on board or lurk in the entrance/exits of metro stations, you can expect to pay a fairly hefty fine - 1500CZK (reduced to 800CZK if paid immediately) - and they will not listen to your plea bargains! Frequent violators will face much more severe penalties.
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| New type tram - many have contless ticket machines on board |
I'm currently in Prague and in the 10 days since I arrived I've walked over 100 miles around town - but sometimes you just need to get from A to B as quickly as possible and it's great to know that the public transport service is there, easy to use, clean, and efficient - and a much more sensible alternative to walking in the rain when the need arises!
