Public transportation

EPFL TL Metro Station At Sunset Time
EPFL TL Metro Station At Sunset Time © Karim Kanoun

We encourage the EPFL community to use public transportation for commuting to and from campus, as well as for any exchange programs or student trips.

Subsidies and discounts

EPFL employees are eligible for a number of discounts on travel passes.

EPFL employees working at least half-time under a contract for at least 12 months are entitled to a free half-fare travelcard from the Swiss Railway Company (SBB). → Learn more

All EPFL employees are entitled to a 25% discount on the purchase of a second-class Swiss-wide (GA) travelcard or a 15% discount for first-class. → Learn more

EPFL employes can apply for a 25% subsidy (in the form of a voucher) on the purchase of a monthly or annual regional travelcard. You can apply for the voucher on myCamipro, under the “Public transport” tab. Vouchers can be used at any corresponding point of sale.

  • EPFL Lausanne campus
    Mobilis (including FlexiAbo travelcards), including zone 12
  • EPFL Neuchâtel
    Onde Verte, including zone 10.
  • EPFL Valais/Wallis
    Bus Sédunois or CarPostal passes, including Sion (there are no fare zones in Valais)
  • EPFL Geneva
    Unireso/LemanPass, including zone 10.
  • EPFL Fribourg
    Frimobil, including zone 10.

Tickets, schedules and refunds

We subsidize first-class travel for employees who are grade 7 or above. For other employees, unit heads may authorize an upgrade to a second-class subsidy.

To purchase train tickets in Switzerland, we recommend using the SBB online shop, which you can access via the EPFL Ticket Shop or directly using the SBB Mobile app. The SBB online shop offers tickets with a 10% discount, supersaver tickets and day passes.

With the SBB Mobile app, you can purchase tickets for travel within Switzerland up to two minutes before your departure.

For more details about the EPFL Ticket Shop, including special offers and refund policies, visit the Ticket Shop web page.

The EPFL Ticket Shop offers 10% discounts on train tickets to major European cities. If you experience any problems with a booking website for a destination country, you can contact the Business Travel Service Center at 0848 111 456 (Monday to Friday, from 8am to 5:30pm, local rates apply).

The Trainline website also allows you to buy tickets throughout Europe in just a few clicks.

In order to access the EPFL Ticket Shop, you need to request approval from your unit’s accreditor. The name of your unit’s accreditor can be found in the “Administration” section of the EPFL directory. For more information, please visit the Accred website.

You can order special tickets issued without a name on the EPFL Ticket Shop. They will be sent by post only. Please allow three working days for delivery.

The entire range of public transportation passes is available on the SBB online shop, although for now some passes can be purchased only on the old SBB website. For international tickets, availability changes frequently; if you would like to purchase an international ticket not available on the SBB online shop, please visit the EPFL Ticket Shop and select “International tickets” from the main menu.

Tickets for travel within Switzerland

Refunds for train tickets that were purchased via the Ticket Shop can now be requested on the SBB website. SBB charges a flat fee of CHF 10 for each request. If you booked your tickets elsewhere, please send a refund request to EPFL’s accounting department, along with a completed refund application form.

International tickets

To request a refund before your scheduled date of departure, please call the SBB headquarters in Brig at 0848 111 456 or visit the refund page of the SBB website. To request a refund after your scheduled date of departure, please see the specific refund conditions for your ticket.

Bachelor’s and Master’s students who need to travel to one of our satellite campuses for a project related to their studies are entitled to be reimbursed for their travel costs (see Principles and Procedures, PDF 237 kB)

The Renens, Malley, Morges and Lausanne train stations are the closest ones to the Lausanne campus. Train schedules, routes and tickets can be found on the SBB mobile app or website.


Metro and bus

The Lausanne campus is connected to surrounding towns by the M1 metro and TL and MBC buses. It is located close to the Renens, Malley, Morges and Lausanne train stations.

With the Mobilis day pass, you can order one or more trips up to 60 days in advance. Passes are valid in all Mobilis zones and do not require a SwissPass.

Some municipalities (including Lausanne, Pully, Epalinges, Le Mont and Paudex) subsidize public transport passes for students. Please contact your municipality for more information.

The M1 metro line connects the Lausanne campus to Renens and central Lausanne. The 31 bus crosses the campus in the direction of Renens or Saint Sulpice. Schedules, routes and tickets are available on the TL app or website.

The 701 bus connects the Lausanne campus to the central Morges and Bourdonnette. The 705 bus serves the western part of Lausanne in the direction of Lonay. Schedules, routes and tickets are available on the MBC website.

TL sales point at EPFL

At the TL point of sale, you can purchase all public transport passes for the Lausanne region and the Mobilis fare zone, as well as all SBB direct services.

The TL point of sale is located at the Reception desk (CM 1364) on the Esplanade.

Phone: +41 (0)21 621 01 11

Monday to Friday: 9am–1pm and 1:30pm–4:30pm
Saturday and Sunday: closed

TL contact: https://www.t-l.ch/contact/service-client/contact
TL FAQs: https://mon-espace.t-l.ch/fr/faq