Public Transportation In Prague

20. 9. 2017

The public transport here in Prague is one of the best in all of Europe because it is very well integrated. It has one of the highest rates of usage in the world, with approximately 1.2 billion passenger journeys per year. The transportation system includes the subway which has three lines (A, B, C), over twenty tram lines and an endless number of buses allowing you to get anywhere you want. It is also very frequent (even during the weekends), very cheap and reliable. With transport becoming very difficult in the city centre, we highly recommend using public transport to get around Prague.

The Prague Public Transportation System does not have any barriers which will prevent you from entering any means of transport. Tickets are checked by ticket inspectors who check tickets randomly in the metro, on trams and buses. The fine for not having a valid ticket is 1 500 CZK or 800 CZK if paid on the spot.

METRO
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The metro consists of three lines:
A – green (Nemocnice Motol – Depo Hostivař)
B – yellow (Zličín – Černý most)
C – red (Letňany – Háje)

Můstek, Muzeum and Florenc are the three interchanging stations. The intensity of the traffic varies depending on the route, the day and time of day. The underground is most frequent from Monday to Thursday on line C. The least frequent is line A on Sunday. Intervals can range from 1 to 10 minutes, but the intervals are usually 3-5 minutes. The metro in Prague is also less frequent during the weekend. The opening time is approximately 04:30 – 00:30.

TRAMS
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There are approximately 25 tram lines for easy access to places, which the underground metro cannot access. Prague also has several night trams. The operation of night trams is provided from 24:00 to 5:00. Although they are not very frequent, they are still reliable for getting around the city. The interval between them is usually 30 mins. There are 9 night tram lines and the main interchange tram station for all them is Lazarská, where the tram usually waits for 5 mins. The night trams are a much cheaper alternative compared to other means of transportation such as taxi or Uber.

BUSES
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The buses go to places where the metro and trams do not reach. Most urban and suburban lines are included in the Prague Integrated Transport system and are marked with three-digit numbers (regular daily lines 100-269, suburban lines 301-399, night lines 901-915, night suburban lines 951-960. Altogether there is around 300 lines. The bus lines also provide transport from and to the airport: 119 (Airport - Nádraží Veleslavín), 100 (Airport – Zličín) and Airport Express (Airport – Central Railway Station). There are however several lines which are not funded by the city and are not included in the Prague Integrated Transport system.

TICKETS
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There are several ways you can pay for getting around the city. Please keep in mind that following prices only apply to the P zone, which is the inner city of Prague.

Electronic ticket
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This is the probably the most used way of paying for transportation around Prague. Most Prague residents use a green card called ‘Lítačka.’ You can get it at most info centres or order it online for a small fee. You can charge your card with the following options:

1. Adult
- 30 days (550 CZK)
- 90 days (1 480 CZK)
- 150 days (2 450 CZK)
- 365 days (3 650 CZK) = Best fare possible at 10 CZK per day

2. Junior/Student
- 30 days (260 CZK)
- 90 days (720 CZK)
- 150 days (1 200 CZK)
- 300 days (2 400 CZK)

3. Senior
- 30 days (250 CZK)
- 90 days (660 CZK)
- 150 days (1 100 CZK)

Long-term paper tickets
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These are very similar to the electronic ticket and offer the same options as above, however the user does not charge his card but buys “coupons” instead. The user also has to have a valid PID card which is issued at info centres in order to be able to purchase these paper coupons.

There is also the possibility of purchasing paper coupons without a PID card. They are more expensive but can be used by anyone, so you can exchange it between your family members. These are the following options:

- 30 days (670 CZK)
- 90 days (1 880 CZK)
- 365 days (6 100 CZK)

Standard Paper tickets
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These tickets can be purchased at every metro stop and at several tram stops. They can also be purchased by card on the new trams. They generally serve for one trip and are used by everyone who does not spend a majority of their time in Prague or who does not use the public transportation system frequently.

1. Adult
- Basic 90 min. (32 CZK)
- Short-term 30 min. (24 CZK)
- 1-day (110 CZK)
- 3-day (310 CZK)

2. Children and Seniors
- Basic 90 min. (16 CZK)
- Short-term 30 min. (12 CZK)
- 1-day (55 CZK)

SMS tickets
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The benefit of the SMS ticket is that it can be purchased anytime and anywhere, where you can use your mobile phone. The price of the SMS tickets is the same as for the Standard Paper tickets. price is 32 CZK/24 CZK/110 CZK/310 CZK (including VAT) + the price of the SMS message according to your operator. The SMS ticket is transferable and its validity is 90 mins/30 mins/24 hrs/72 hrs depending on the ticket you have purchased.

To receive an SMS ticket in your text messages, you simply have to send the following message to this number: 902 06

Please keep in mind that it takes approximately 2 mins to receive the SMS ticket. Not receiving the SMS immediately ensures that people without a valid ticket don’t receive one immediately on the spot when they see a ticket inspector.