Gothenburg Public Transport: The Vasttrafik Guide

Gothenburg is easy to ride once you know where tapping your card stops working: at the zone A boundary, at the train door, and at the second person. Here is the whole system, checked against Västtrafik’s own pages in September 2026.

When you need this

You have just come in on the airport coach, or you are standing at a tram stop with nothing but a bank card. You might be weighing up a 72-hour ticket against a week of taps, heading out to the archipelago or down to Kungsbacka, or traveling with children or a dog.

One operator, three zones

Västtrafik is the public transport authority for Västra Götaland and Kungsbacka. In Gothenburg it runs the trams (spårvagnar), the buses, the river and archipelago ferries and the regional Västtåg trains, all on one ticket system.

Fares follow three zones. A trip inside one zone costs a one-zone fare, and crossing into the next zone costs more:

Some stops near a boundary belong to two zones, called an omlottzon. Västtrafik cut its old system of more than 70 zones down to these three in 2020, so any older zone map you find is useless.

Tapping your bank card in zone A

For a short city stay, the best ticket is no ticket. Hold a contactless Visa or Mastercard, or Apple Pay, Google Pay or Samsung Pay, on a reader with the contactless symbol as you board a tram, bus or boat in zone A. You get an adult single valid for 90 minutes in zone A, at the same price as a one-zone single in the app. Tapping has worked since 9 May 2023, and it replaced the ticket machines that used to be on the trams.

Västtrafik adds up a day’s taps and charges them at the earliest by midnight. At an inspection you hold the card to the inspector’s handheld device.

Four limits decide whether tapping works for you:

1. Zone A only. Ride on into zone B — to Kungsbacka, Kungälv or Landvetter Airport — and your tapped ticket stops being valid.
2. Never on Västtåg trains. The trains have no tap readers, even inside zone A. Buy in the app, or from the train crew by bank card.
3. One card, one ticket. Each payment card buys one ticket, so every traveler needs their own card or phone.
4. Adults only. A tap always buys an adult fare. Youth tickets are sold in the app.

Keep to the same card or the same phone for the whole trip. A phone wallet does not pass on your plastic card’s number, so a ticket bought with one will not be found on the other. Our guide to paying by phone in Sweden explains why.

The Västtrafik To Go app

Everything tapping does not cover is in the Västtrafik To Go app: youth fares, 24-hour and 72-hour tickets, 30-day tickets and trips into zones B and C. You do not need to register. Pay by card; your bank may ask you to confirm with 3D Secure. Download it on wifi before you need it.

A single covering one zone is valid for 90 minutes. One that covers two or three zones is valid for 180 minutes. Activate an app ticket before you board — a ticket bought after the doors close is not valid — and note that app day tickets start the moment you buy them.

There is no cash anywhere on board. On buses in Gothenburg, Mölndal and Partille, and on the express (X) lines that serve them, the driver sells nothing at all. Further out in the region, drivers sell singles and day tickets by bank card. Period tickets are never sold on board.

Which ticket to buy

Autumn 2026 changes the long-stay answer. Since 1 July 2026, Västtrafik’s 30-day tickets have been half price, for travel to the end of the year. At that price a zone A 30-day ticket costs less than two 72-hour tickets, so for any stay of five days or more it is the cheaper choice. Västtrafik says it will know on 6 October 2026 whether the half price runs longer. Both prices are in the table below.

Day tickets cover every mode in the zones you buy — buses, trams, boats and trains — including Öresundståg between Gothenburg and Åsa, SJ Regional to Åmål and Vy trains to Ed. On a Västtrafik card, rather than in the app, a day ticket starts on first use or at a time you choose, within 30 days of purchase.

Children, families and dogs

Children under 7 ride free, in any number, with anyone holding a valid ticket. From 7 until the day they turn 20 they pay the youth fare, which is 75 percent of the adult price. Because a tap is always an adult fare, buy youth tickets in the app.

Västtrafik’s Res 4, betala för 1 offer (“travel four, pay for one”) helps families most. An adult over 20 with a period ticket, or an adult 24- or 72-hour ticket bought in the app, can take up to three young people under 20 free. It does not work with tapping or on a Västtrafik card.

Dogs and other pets ride free, on a leash or in a cage or bag. Take them to the very back of trams and buses, and to the pet-allowed car on trains. Our guide to dogs on Swedish public transport has the details.

Ferries on a Västtrafik ticket

Gothenburg’s boats are part of the network, and one of them is free:

• Line 286 Älvsnabbare crosses the river between Stenpiren and Lindholmspiren, Monday to Friday, free of charge. Look for the green Gratisresa flag.
• Line 285 Älvsnabben runs from Stenpiren to Lindholmspiren, Eriksberg and Klippan on any zone A ticket, which makes it a cheap river trip. Bikes ride free on the fore deck.
• The southern archipelago — Styrsö, Donsö, Vrångö, Brännö and the other islands — is served by boats from Saltholmen at zone A fares. Most of them take a tapped card, and you can also buy on board or at the Saltholmen ticket office.

The airport and the trains

Landvetter Airport is in zone B, so a tapped zone A ticket does not cover it. The usual way into the city is the Flygbussarna coach from bus stop 1, about 20 minutes to the center via Korsvägen. It is a commercial service, so buy its ticket from the coach operator. Västtrafik’s own bus 612 only links the airport with Landvetter travel center. Our Landvetter Airport guide covers every option.

Trains within the region are Västtåg, and they need an app ticket, a day ticket or a ticket from the crew. From 13 December 2026 the Västtåg trains to Alingsås and Älvängen use new underground platforms 21–24 at Göteborg Central, the first part of the Västlänken rail tunnel to open. The walk to them is a few minutes longer than to the old platforms. Uddevalla trains follow in spring 2027 and Töreboda trains at the end of 2027. The full tunnel, with new stations at Haga and Korsvägen, is expected around 2030, not in 2026 as many pages still say.

If your train or bus is 20 minutes late or more, Västtrafik refunds part of the fare; see our guide to delay compensation. Interrail Global Pass holders who live outside Sweden ride Västtrafik’s trains without limit, but need a ticket on buses and trams.

Ticket inspections and the surcharge

Travel without a valid ticket and Västtrafik charges a tilläggsavgift (surcharge) of 1,500 kr for adults and 750 kr for 15–17-year-olds. You pay it afterwards by transfer or online, never to the inspector, and you can appeal within 10 days. If you had a registered ticket you could not show, the charge drops to 150 kr (50 kr for 15–17-year-olds).

The legal basis is Lag (1977:67). The same law forbids the surcharge when the missing ticket is excusable, and it names unfamiliarity with local conditions as one ground. If that fits your case, say so in your appeal; our guide to the surcharge explains how.

Mistakes to avoid

• Looking for the ticket machine on a tram. Tapping replaced them in 2023.
• Tapping onto a train. Västtåg has no tap readers.
• Tapping out to the airport. Landvetter is zone B.
• Tapping for a teenager. A tap is always an adult ticket.
• Paying for the Lindholmen ferry. Line 286 is free on weekdays.
• Buying day tickets for a week in late 2026. The half-price 30-day ticket is cheaper from five days.
• Planning around Västlänken’s Haga or Korsvägen stations. They open around 2030.

Practical information

FAQ

Can I pay for Gothenburg trams with my credit card?

Yes, in zone A. Tap a contactless Visa or Mastercard, or Apple Pay, Google Pay or Samsung Pay, on a tram, bus or boat reader with the contactless symbol. That buys an adult single valid for 90 minutes in Gothenburg, Mölndal, Partille and Öckerö. Each card buys one ticket, so everyone needs their own. It does not work on Västtåg trains.

What are Västtrafik’s zones?

There are three. Zone A is Gothenburg, Mölndal, Partille and Öckerö. Zone B is the surrounding ring, including Kungsbacka, Kungälv, Alingsås, Lerum and Härryda, where Landvetter Airport is. Zone C is the rest of Västra Götaland, including Borås and Trollhättan. Crossing into another zone costs more, and a tapped ticket covers zone A only.

How long is a Västtrafik single ticket valid?

Ninety minutes from purchase or activation for one zone, including a tapped card ticket, and you can change between trams, buses and boats within that time. A single covering two or three zones is valid for 180 minutes. App tickets must be activated before you board, not after the doors close.

Which Västtrafik ticket is best for tourists?

For a day or two in the city, tap your bank card. For three days, a 72-hour ticket for zone A. For five days or more before the end of 2026, the 30-day ticket is half price, at 445 kronor cheaper than two 72-hour tickets. Buy it in the Västtrafik To Go app and up to three under-20s ride free with you.

Do children travel free on Västtrafik?

Children under 7 travel free, in any number, with anyone holding a valid ticket. From 7 until the day they turn 20 they pay the youth fare, 75 percent of the adult price, which you buy in the app because tapping always charges an adult fare. An adult with an app day or period ticket can take three under-20s free.

What is the fine for no ticket on Västtrafik?

Västtrafik charges a tilläggsavgift of 1,500 kronor for adults and 750 kronor for 15–17-year-olds, checked September 2026. You pay it afterwards, not to the inspector, and can appeal within 10 days. Swedish law forbids the surcharge when the missing ticket is excusable, including unfamiliarity with local conditions.

How do I get from Landvetter Airport to Gothenburg by public transport?

Take the Flygbussarna airport coach from bus stop 1, about 20 minutes to the center via Korsvägen, with a ticket bought from its operator. Västtrafik’s own bus 612 only links the airport with Landvetter travel center. The airport is in zone B, so a tapped zone A ticket does not cover the ride.

Are ferries included in Västtrafik tickets?

Yes. Line 285 Älvsnabben along the river and the southern archipelago boats from Saltholmen take ordinary zone A tickets, and most archipelago boats accept a tapped card. Line 286 Älvsnabbare between Stenpiren and Lindholmspiren is free on weekdays, marked by a green flag.

Related guides

• Landvetter Airport guide — the coach, bus 612 and taxis into the city
• Gothenburg travel guide — what to ride to once you have a ticket
• How to pay for buses in Sweden — what changes in the next region
• Stockholm public transport — SL has no zones and taps differently
• Skåne public transport — for the trip south to Malmö

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Facts verified 2026-09-24. Sources: Västtrafik (Region Västra Götaland), Styrsöbolaget, Swedavia and Sveriges riksdag for Lag (1977:67) — full register in this topic’s source file. The half-price 30-day ticket’s end date is decided on 6 October 2026, and Västlänken’s first platforms open on 13 December 2026. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.