The ZVV is a public transportation network system, combining rail

Rail transport

Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...

, bus

Bus

A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...

, tram

Tram

A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...

, trolleybus

Trolleybus

A trolleybus is an electric bus that draws its electricity from overhead wires using spring-loaded trolley poles. Two wires and poles are required to complete the electrical circuit...

, lake boat

Boat

A boat is a watercraft of any size designed to float or plane, to provide passage across water. Usually this water will be inland or in protected coastal areas. However, boats such as the whaleboat were designed to be operated from a ship in an offshore environment. In naval terms, a boat is a...

 and cable car services in the canton of Zürich

Canton of Zürich

The Canton of Zurich has a population of . The canton is located in the northeast of Switzerland and the city of Zurich is its capital. The official language is German, but people speak the local Swiss German dialect called Züritüütsch...

 as well as Rapperswil-Jona

Rapperswil-Jona

Rapperswil-Jona is a municipality in the Wahlkreis of See-Gaster in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.Besides Rapperswil and Jona, which were separate municipalities until 2006, the municipality includes Bollingen, Busskirch, Curtiberg, Kempraten-Lenggis, Wagen, and Wurmsbach.-Today:On...

 and Pfäffikon SZ.

History and network

Established in May 1990, it first was an elaborate web of railway lines. They were prefixed with the letter S (S-Bahn

S-Bahn

S-Bahn refers to an often combined city center and suburban railway system metro in Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Denmark...

). S-Lines 1 through 43 (with some lines missing) now form part of the S-Bahn Network

Zürich S-Bahn

The Zurich S-Bahn system is a network of rapid transit rail lines that has been incrementally expanded to cover the ZVV area, which comprises the entire canton of Zurich and portions of neighboring cantons The Zurich S-Bahn system is a network of rapid transit rail lines that has been...

. A self-service/penalty fare system is in force on all S-Bahn trains; those without a valid ticket face a minimum fine of CHF

Swiss franc

The franc is the currency and legal tender of Switzerland and Liechtenstein; it is also legal tender in the Italian exclave Campione d'Italia. Although not formally legal tender in the German exclave Büsingen , it is in wide daily use there...

 100.

The ZVV system works by creating a ticket network. Instead of different fares by kilometre or by destination, the zone concept was introduced. There are zones numbered 10-83 (approx.), with even Lake Zürich

Lake Zurich

Lake Zurich is a lake in Switzerland, extending southeast of the city of Zurich. It is also known as Lake Zürich and Lake of Zürich. It lies approximately at co-ordinates ....

 divided in part into different zones. A user of the transportation network would purchase a base ticket for a certain number of zones (with the minimum being one or two zones, the price is the same). Upgrades to first class and extension tickets are available as supplements to the basic ticket.

Trips by fast trains, regional trains, InterRegio

InterRegio

The InterRegio is a train service seen in some European countries. Mostly they are trains that run "from region to region", as best described by Swiss Federal Railways.-Switzerland:...

, InterCity

InterCity

InterCity is the classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe...

, RegioExpress

RegioExpress

The RegioExpress is a fast regional train in Switzerland, run by the Swiss Federal Railways or by other private railways ....

, ICN, ICE

InterCityExpress

The Intercity-Express or ICE is a system of high-speed trains predominantly running in Germany and neighbouring countries. It is the highest service category offered by DB Fernverkehr and is the flagship of Deutsche Bahn...

 and Cisalpino

Cisalpino

Cisalpino AG was a railway company operating international trains between Switzerland and Italy connecting Basel, Schaffhausen, Zürich, Geneva, Milan, Venice, Trieste, Livorno, and Florence...

 lines within the network also have the network/zone system applied.

The ZVV system has worked exceptionally well, with the S-Bahn system being adopted in other regions as well, such as Bern and Thurgau

Thurgau

Thurgau is a northeast canton of Switzerland. The population, , is . In 2007, there were a total of 47,390 who were resident foreigners. The capital is Frauenfeld.-History:...

/St. Gallen

Canton of St. Gallen

The Canton of St. Gallen is a canton of Switzerland. St. Gallen is located in the north east of Switzerland. It covers an area of 2,026 km², and has a population of . , the population included 97,461 foreigners, or about 20.9% of the total population. The capital is St. Gallen. Spelling...

 (Ostwind network).

Operators

The operators which make up the ZVV are:

• S-Bahn Zürich
• Dolderbahn
  Dolderbahn
  The Dolderbahn is a long rack railway in the Swiss city of Zurich, and is owned by the Dolderbahn-Betriebs AG. The line was opened in 1895 as a funicular railway, and converted to rack operation in 1973...
  
  
• Forchbahn
  Forchbahn
  The Forchbahn is a gauge narrow-gauge light railway in the canton of Zürich, linking central Zürich to the eastern suburbs near Esslingen via Forch. The name is often abbreviated to just FB, which also appears on the trains...
  
  
• Luftseilbahn Adliswil-Felsenegg
  Luftseilbahn Adliswil-Felsenegg
  Luftseilbahn Adliswil-Felsenegg is an aerial tramway in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland. Its name is commonly abbreviated to LAF; the tramway usually is called Felseneggbahn....
  
  
• Polybahn
  Polybahn
  The Polybahn, also known as the UBS Polybahn, is a funicular railway in the centre of the city of Zurich, Switzerland. Previous names for the line include the SBG Polybahn and the Zürichbergbahn....
  
  
• PostAuto Region Zürich
• Sihltal Zürich Uetliberg Bahn
  Sihltal Zürich Uetliberg Bahn
  The Sihltal Zürich Uetliberg Bahn – commonly abbreviated to SZU – is a railway company and transport network in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland...
  
  
• Stadtbus Winterthur
• Südostbahn
  Südostbahn
  The Südostbahn – commonly abbreviated to SOB – is a railway company and network in Switzerland.- Structure :...
  
   (SOB)
• THURBO
  THURBO
  THURBO is the corporate identity of a railway company in eastern Switzerland, owned by SBB-CFF-FFS and the canton of Thurgau.-Operations:...
  
  
• Verkehrsbetriebe Glattal
  Verkehrsbetriebe Glattal
  Verkehrsbetriebe Glattal is the main bus operator to the northern suburbs of Glattal, Furttal, Effretikon and Volketswil in the canton of Zürich, Switzerland. One of the eight public transport operators that make up the umbrella organisation Zürcher Verkehrsverbund, VBG operates some 73 buses and...
  
  
• Verkehrsbetriebe Zürich
  Verkehrsbetriebe Zürich
  Verkehrsbetriebe Zürich is a public transport operator in the Swiss city of Zurich, and is wholly owned by the city. Previously known as the Städtische Strassenbahn Zürich , the organisation was founded in 1896 and adopted its current name in 1950...
  
   (VBZ)
• Verkehrsbetriebe Zürichsee und Oberland (VZO)
• Zürichsee Schifffahrtsgesellschaft (ZSG)