Request for Assistance: Fine Due to Failure to Update Time Zones on Ticket

hzheng64

Good morning,

I received a fine this morning on my way to the university for not having the correct zones on my yearly 3-zone ZVV ticket. Previously, I resided in Bergstrasse, Kusnacht ZH, which is in zone 140. Consequently, my current ticket covers zones 140 and 110. However, at the beginning of March, I relocated to a new address on Obstgartenstrasse, Kloten, which falls under zone 121 when taking tram 10 from Fracht to Zurich. This means I should have switched zone 140 for zone 121. Regrettably, I have not yet informed SBB of this change, but I intend to visit their offices this week to rectify the situation.

Is there a possibility for me to appeal or cancel the fine? I can provide evidence of my relocation by submitting both my old (Kusnacht) and new (Kloten) rental agreements, along with any necessary identification.

Thank you for your assistance.

Best regards

RedBaron

hzheng64 Obviously, the simple and (sorry, hard) fact is that for whatever reasons you didn’t have a valid ticket for travelling in the zone 121, neither this morning nor the previous two weeks.
You should have taken care of returning/exchanging your yearly ZVV pass (see link) per 1st of March BEFORE moving, or alternatively you should have purchased the necessary Zone 121 extension tickets/pass since.

Therefore I fear your rental agreements won’t be of much help, as they most probably won’t be considered as a sufficient justification/excuse for not holding a valid Zone 121 ticket this month…

hzheng64

RedBaron Ok, sad to hear that. Since I am mostly attending the classes online / watching the recordings, these two weeks I mostly didn’t go to uni physically and hence did not need to use my travelcard. But today I did go, and ended up getting the fine 🙁

I will try to go today to the SBB office and change my travelcard zones.

RedBaron

hzheng64 Since you wrote that you used your pass for the first time this month, you might want to reconsider whether a new yearly ZVV pass is really worth it in your situation, also considering semester breaks etc.
As a general rule of thumb, you’re saving money by getting a yearly pass only if commuting within those zones for more than 3 days per week in average.
Up to three days per week, it would be usually cheaper to buy individual (return) tickets for each day of travel. And within the ZVV, using the EasyRide system (SBB Mobile App) gives you an additional 10% discount on a return trip compared with a regular ZVV return (24h) ticket.

hzheng64

Also, can someone from the SBB confirm that, in the most likely case that I had to pay the fine, that my fine is being sent to Obstgartenstrasse, 8302 Kloten instead of Bergstrasse, 8700 Kusnacht? Since the building was to be demolished I believe, there is a chance that I won’t be able to get the fine letter otherwise. Also, if I can receive the invoice per email, that works as well.

hzheng64

RedBaron Thanks for your reply! I will think about it. For the previous semester, since I had more classes and was going to uni daily, it was well worth it. But maybe, as you have pointed out, I would be better off not buying the yearly pass for this semester, since I won’t be going all that often to uni and during semester break I won’t be in Switzerland either.
I did not know about the EasyRide system, will check it out!

RolandP

Hello RedBaron

Fines that were issued on the tram in Zurich are not handled by SBB. You have to contact ZVV or go to the ZVV office at Zurich mainstation.

https://www.zvv.ch/zvv/en/travelcards-and-tickets/ticket-inspection/collection-of-payment.html

Whether the yearly subscription can be cancelled in favour of a new one issued with validity today is in the responsibility of ZVV.

Kind regards,
Roland

hzheng64

RolandP Thank you for your reply. I will directly to the ZVV office at Zurich mainstation then, both for refunding the ticket and handling the fine.