Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Switzerland’s CFF rail company will raise prices by 6.4 percent overall 10 December 2010. The recently voted increase in value added tax (TVA) of 0.4 percent is included. The Public Transport Union announced the hikes Thursday 14 January. The amounts of some of the changes come as a surprise, but higher than normal increases have been predicted widely because a year ago the government insisted that increases for 2010 be put off because consumers were hurt by the weak economy.

The half-price CFF card, the most popular discount, will be increased from CHF150 a year to CHF165. It is the first increase for the card since 1993.

Some 75 percent of all tickets purchased are used with a half-price card. Regular ticket prices will go up by 3.4 percent. Special rates for children, families and handicapped travellers will not be increased. The ticketing process for children will be simplified, with two prices charged now being folded into one price of CHF30. Daycare centres in particular will benefit from being able to take groups of children for reduced rates, with restrictions lifted on the number of children accompanied by one adult.

One of the biggest hikes is for the increasingly popular general subscription, a card that covers all transport for a year. Its price will go up 6.7 percent, but the Transport Union insists that the cards are an excellent deal in terms of the price per kilometre travelled.