Transfer fare from a transport card is valid for two journeys (one change), and is better value than if a passenger buy a separate ticket for each journey.
For example, when travelling from Bardejov to Košice with a change in Prešov, the passenger will purchase a ticket all the way to Košice whilst on the Bardejov–Prešov line; in Prešov, when boarding the Prešov–Košice line, he will simply show their valid ticket (he will not need to buy another ticket). Overall, he will pay less than they would if they had bought a separate ticket for the Bardejov–Prešov journey and then a separate ticket for the Prešov–Košice journey.
It is important that, when boarding the first service, passengers inform the driver of their alighting stop on the first service (e.g. ‘Prešov, station’), as well as their destination on the second service (e.g. ‘Košice’). Example of what to say: ‘One-way ticket to Prešov, station, continuing to Košice.’
The use of transfer tickets is subject to payment via a transport card (physical or virtual). In future, following the launch of the IDS Východ mobile app, it will also be possible to purchase transfer tickets via the IDS Východ mobile app.
A transfer ticket is valid for a certain number of zones and for a certain duration. The ticket’s duration is calculated as the number of zones indicated on the ticket multiplied by 30 minutes, plus an additional 30 minutes for transfer (e.g. a 5-zone ticket from Prešov to Košice is valid for 6 × 30 minutes = 180 minutes, i.e. exactly 3 hours from the time the ticket is issued). For the purposes of assessing a ticket’s validity, the journey time from the boarding stop to the alighting stop, as stated in the timetable for the relevant route, is binding. The validity period need only be checked in the case of unusually long transfers.
Transfer fares apply to carriers ARRIVA Michalovce, eurobus, SAD Humenné, SAD Poprad, SAD Prešov SK and ZSSK. Detailed information is set out in the IDS Východ Transport Regulations published in the Documents section.