Increased rail fares due to higher VAT as of 15 January

Rail passenger carrier ZSSK will increase its fares as of January 15, ZSSK spokesman Dominik Drevicky told TASR on Friday, citing the increase in VAT from 20 to 23 percent as of the new year as the reason behind the move.

"Fares will grow by 3-4 percent on average, with a Bratislava-Kosice ticket being 52 cents more expensive and a Zilina-Poprad ticket 20 cents more expensive. The adjustments are minimal, but technically unavoidable if we want to to meet legal requirements while ensuring that the changes are carried out smoothly and seamlessly for our customers. It's our priority to maintain stable and accessible rail transport for everyone," stated ZSSK general director Peter Helexa.

ZSSK annually transports over 70 million passengers, including 50 million by electric trains. Each day, the national carrier dispatches 1,818 trains on average and transports some 200,000 passengers.

Source: TASR