Travelling in the VVO area

More information

The VVO area is divided into 21 tariff zones. Whichever form of transport you use, and however often you get on and off, the prices you pay are based on these zones. When you travel, you simply count the number of zones you will pass through.

Boundary area

The VVO tariff is a tariff for a very large area. The area is divided into 21 tariff zones. Tariff zone boundaries touch upon neighbouring tariff zones. There are normally stops/stations at these tariff zone boundaries. A single stop (e. g. Dresden, Lugaer Platz) or more than one stop or all the stops in a particular town (examples: Coswig, Weinböhla, Radeburg, Sebnitz) may indicate a tariff zone boundary. In exceptional cases, the tariff zone boundary may also lie between two rail or bus stations.

Am Beispiel erklärt: Grenzraum

Karte Tarifzonengrenze und Grenzraum

In the map above, the Dresden, Lugaer Platz stop (indicated in blue) lies in both tariff zone 10 and tariff zone 70. On the H/S city bus route, it is the boundary stop between the two tariff zones Dresden and Pirna. The tariff zone boundary runs on between the Dresden-Zschachwitz and Bf Heidenau railway stations (DD-Zschachwitz only belongs to tariff zone 10, and Bf Heidenau only to tariff zone 70).

Anyone travelling across the tariff zone boundary should pay the fare for 2 tariff zones. To soften this jump in price (level 1 to level 2), "boundary areas" have been defined at tariff zones boundaries. This will often be helpful to you if you get on just before the boundary and get off shortly after the boundary. The boundary areas differ in size, and they take the route network and transport connections into account.

The boundary area is marked on tickets when they are stamped. Passes (weekly, Abo, monthly and annual passes) have "Grenzraum" ("boundary area") printed on them, and the name of the two adjacent tariff zones (example: Grenzraum TZ Dresden TZ Pirna). On the tariff zone map, blue brackets ( ) indicate the boundary areas. The tables at stops in the VVO area also show this information.

If you are only travelling within the boundary area (between stops A and B), you only need a ticket for one tariff zone, i. e. price level 1 (if using a single journey ticket) or price level A (if using a pass).

Examples

  • On the S1 route the tariff boundary between the Dresden and Pirna tariff zones runs from Dresden-Niedersedlitz to Heidenau-Großsedlitz. If you just want to travel this section, you should stamp a ticket for one tariff zone. The boundary area up to Heidenau-Großsedlitz does not extend the Dresden tariff zone!
  • On the H/S city bus route, the boundary area runs from Dresden-Prohlis to Heidenau, Pechhütte. For journeys within this boundary area, again, you just stamp a ticket for one tariff zone. The H/S route crosses the tariff zone boundary at Dresden, Lugaer Platz. This boundary area does not extend the Pirna tariff zone as far as Dresden-Prohlis!
  • You can travel over two tariff zones within one boundary area with a price level 1 or A ticket at many other points in the VVO area, too.