Introduction to Žilina's fare conditions
When buying a ticket for the public transport in Žilina, there are different options to consider. One can either purchase a single-journey ticket in one of the ticket machines deployed across bus stops, or send any text message to 1155 to receive an SMS ticket, which is valid for 60 minutes since the returning message with the ticket has been received.
More frequent commuters also have the option to purchase a travel card, which can be loaded with a prepaid ticket and used to purchase a limited (or unlimited) number of single-journey tickets by touching the card on a validator inside their vehicle.
Tourists also get the option of a 24-hour ticket, which is, similarly to single-journey paper tickets, purchased at bus stops in ticket machinges. This one, along with SMS tickets, does not offer a reduced fare version for students and elderly commuters.
Short-term tickets & SMS tickets
| Ticket type | Validity | Full fare | Reduced fare |
| Single-journey, no transfers | 1 zone (up to 5 stops) | 0.55 € | 0.35 € |
| Single-journey, no transfers | 2 zones (any no. of stops) | 0.65 € | 0.45 € |
| Transfer within 30 minutes | 2 zones (any no. of stops) | 0.80 € | 0.55 € |
| SMS ticket, transfers allowed | 60 minutes (any no. of stops) | 1.00 € | – |
| Tourist ticket, transfers allowed | 24 hours (any no. of stops) | 2.00 € | – |
Single-journey tickets
Single-journey tickets are sold in paper form in yellow ticket machines deployed across the bus stop network and in newsstands. They must be validated upon entering a bus or a trolleybus and are valid depending on their type, as seen below:
- Tickets for 1 zone are only valid for 5 stops on the route they have been validated on (considering the boarding stop is the 0th stop)
- Tickets for 2 zones are either valid for as many stops as desired on the route they have been validated on, or on one more route, if transferred to within 30 minutes of the original validation
SMS tickets
SMS tickets can be purchased by sending any character as a text message to 1155. It costs 1.00 € and is valid for 60 minutes since the returning message with the ticket itself has been received. The ticket is not valid until this message has been received – that may take up to 2 minutes.
This service is only available to users of Slovak cellular connection providers with SMS payments enabled.
Tourist tickets
The tourist tickets allows any passenger to travel freely on the public transport network for 24 hours since its validation. It does not offer a discounted version for children, students and elderly people, but it is beneficial for anyone who commits more than two journeys in a single day.
Prepaid tickets
| Zone validity | Trip / time validity | Full fare | Reduced fare |
| 1 zone (≤5 stops) | 20 trips / 30 d. | 9.00 € | 6.00 € |
| 1 zone (≤5 stops) | 40 trips / 30 d. | 14.00 € | 9.00 € |
| 1 zone (≤5 stops) | 60 trips / 30 d. | 18.00 € | 12.00 € |
| 1 zone (≤5 stops) | 120 trips / 90 d. | 35.00 € | 23.00 € |
| 1 zone (≤5 stops) | 180 trips / 90 d. | 48.00 € | 31.00 € |
| 2 zones (unlim.) | 20 trips / 30 d. | 11.00 € | 8.00 € |
| 2 zones (unlim.) | 40 trips / 30 d. | 16.00 € | 11.00 € |
| 2 zones (unlim.) | 120 trips / 90 d. | 43.00 € | 29.00 € |
| anywhere | unl. trips / 30 d. | 20.00 € | 14.00 € |
| anywhere | unl. trips / 90 d. | 53.00 € | 38.00 € |
Prepaid tickets are an efficient way of paying for public transport for frequent travellers. Standard prepaid tickets (like the ones in the chart above) have a specific owner and are not valid when used by other people, although, there are special prepaid ticket options just for that.
The system of prepaid tickets in Žilina is slightly different to the ones known from other cities in Slovakia. Most tickets do not only have time validity, but also trip validity – they are valid unless either of these two parameters runs out. All prepaid tickets have to be validated upon entry, even when changing routes (transferring).
Prepaid tickets and travel cards with them can be purchased in Dopravný podnik mesta Žilina's ticket offices, addresses of which are in the table below.
| Location & Address | Opening hours |
| Námestie Andreja Hlinku 1 | Mon–Fri 07:00–18:00 |
| Námestie obetí komunizmu 1 | Mon–Fri 08:00–12:00, 12:30–14:00 (–16:00 on Wed) |
Prepaid tickets with no specific owner
| Zone validity | Trip / time validity | Fare (full only) | Price per trip |
| 1 zone (≤5 stops) | 40 trips / 180 d. | 19.00 € | ~0.48 € |
| 2 zones (unlim.) | 40 trips / 180 d. | 22.00 € | ~0.55 € |
Prepaid tickets may, surprisingly, be beneficial even to passengers, who commit less than 20 journeys in a month. These kinds of tickets do not only offer a half-year validity, but also do not have to be used strictly by their owner.
In practice, they are very efficient for families whose members use the public transport in Žilina sparsely – up to a 0.10 € discount per trip may be achieved by using them.
Other types of tickets
Luggage fare
If a piece of luggage exceeds 30 by 40 by 60 centimetres, 5 by 80 by 100 centimetres or 20 by 20 by 150 centimetres in any direction, it is subject to fare conditions and it must be paid for. A single-journey two-zone ticket for such luggage costs 0.35 € and may only be used on the route it is validated on. If a passenger travels within two zones on one route, it is beneficial to purchase a combined ticket for 0.80 €, which is valid for both the passenger and their luggage, as opposed to paying 0.65 € + 0.35 € = 0.90 € for two separate tickets.
A dog without a cage (more about transporting animals can be found here) also has to have an extra ticket, which costs 0.65 € and it is also valid in two zones on the route it is validated on.
Fare types and discounts
The default fare available for everyone regardless of their age or health conditions is the full fare. For specific age categories and people with health disabilities, a reduced fare is available, which offers a discount on all tickets. It is neccessary to show a verification card during a ticket inspection. The chart below describes the types of passengers, for whom the reduced fare is available.
| Passenger type | Required verification |
| Children 6 to 14 years of age (incl.) | None |
| Students up to 25 years of age (incl.) | Student card (ISIC) |
Additionally, children up to 5 years of age (incl.) together with a single adult are allowed to travel on the public transport for free. The child's age must be proven by the adult. Transporting strollers (with a child), wheelchairs and guiding dogs is also free of charge.
Fines
If the passenger is for any reason unable to show a valid ticket or a discount ID, they have to pay a fine and the price of a full-fare two-zone ticket (0.65 €) plus:
- 40.00 € if paid on the spot or within 3 workdays
- 50.00 € if paid between 4 and 30 days after the fine had been issued
- 65.00 € if paid any later
If the passenger cannot show a valid luggage or animal ticket, they have to pay a smaller fine of 3.00 €, or 5.00 €, respectively. The 3.00 € fine also applies to passengers with a discount ID valid at the time of the journey, which cannot be shown on the spot.