Special discounts on travel fares apply in eastern Slovakia

Traveling by suburban buses in eastern Slovakia is worthwhile. The benefit of special discounts is offered to selected groups of residents of the Prešov self-governing region and the Košice self-governing region throughout the year.

Pregnant women, holders of at least a gold Janský plaque and senior citizens over 70 yo travel by suburban bus transport in the Prešov and Košice regions throughout the year for a symbolic fare of 0,30 for every 50 km when paying with a transport card. During weekends and public holidays, families with children also have a special discount.

“We provide expectant mothers with a special discount on suburban bus transport. We want to make it easier for them to travel, so that they can go to the doctor or go shopping more cheaply and more carefree. They can use the money they save on transportation, for example, to purchase necessary things for their future newborns. When traveling from Bardejov to Prešov, they will pay 0,30 euros for a ticket, while without the discount it would be 3,10 euros, and if they continue to Košice, their journey will cost 0,60 euros instead of 4,50 euros. So, when traveling regularly by SAD, the saving will become significant,” explained the president of the Prešov self-governing region, Milan Majerský, adding that holders of at least a gold Janský plaque and seniors over 70 yo are also entitled to the same discount.

Entitlement to a special fare in the amount of 0.30 euros for every 50 km is proven by a transport card with a photo. Pregnant women will be given a discount on their card in the carrier’s customer center based on their pregnancy book, and blood donors will be given a discount on proof of the relevant plaque. A favourable weekend fare is intended for families with children. There is an increasing interest in this discount.

“Weekend fares give easterners the opportunity to spend their free days discovering new places or visiting popular destinations for extremely favourable fares. We are very pleased that the passengers liked the weekend fare and are using it more and more often during their trips. In the first half of the current year, more than 10,500 passengers used this discount. This is a more than two-fold increase in interest compared to the same period last year, when less than 5 thousand passengers used it. This unique discount can also be used by active families, because this summer we are regularly sending out some buses with bicycle carriages,” said the president of the Košice self-governing region, Rastislav Trnka.

Weekend fares apply on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. The condition for applying the discount is a joint trip of at least two family members, of which at least one person is an adult and at least one child under the age of 15 is traveling with them. Each family member pays 1 euro for the ticket, regardless of the length of the route.

In the first half of 2023, the most sold weekend tickets were on the route Košice – Sečovce – Michalovce – Sobrance, were 1,681 passengers bought them. The second most used route was the route Bardejov – Prešov – Košice, on which 1,283 weekend tickets were sold.

Weekend fares can also be used by families with children when traveling by cycle buses that operate on seven routes in the Košice region: Košice – Veľký Folkmár – Gelnica, Košice – Turňa nad Bodvou – Rožňava, Košice – Vyšný Klátov – Zlatá Idka, Košice – Sokoľ, Košice – Slanec – Čerhov – Malá Trňa, Košice – Dargov – Remetské Hámre – Morské oko, Spišská Nová Ves – Hrabušice – Stratená – Telgárt.

Families with children can also use weekend fares in the Prešov region, where cycle buses operate on five routes. Namely Prešov – Zlatá Baňa, Sabinov – Drienica, Stará Ľubovňa – Červený Kláštor, Vranov nad Topľou – Domaša, Dobrá recreation area and Snina – Nová Sedlica.

TS: PSK, KSK, IDS Východ
Foto: shutterstock