Introduction to Nitra's fare conditions
When buying a ticket for the public transport in Nitra, there are different options to consider. One can either purchase a single-journey ticket in cash directly at the bus driver, which is valid for 60 minutes since purchase on all routes, or send any text message to 1177 to receive an SMS ticket, which is valid for 70 minutes since the returning message with the ticket has been received.
More frequent commuters also have the option to purchase a travel card, which can either be topped-up with a credit and used to purchase single-journey tickets in ticket validators in buses, or buy a prepaid ticket, which is valid for 30, 90 or 180 days since purchase on as many journeys as desired.
Tourists also get the option of a 1-day or a 7-day ticket, which are, similarly to single-journey paper tickets, purchased in cash at the bus driver. These, along with SMS tickets, do not offer a reduced fare version for students and elderly commuters, though.
Short-term tickets & SMS tickets
| Ticket type & validity | Full fare | Reduced fare |
| Paper ticket (60 minutes) | 0.80 € | 0.50 € |
| SMS ticket (70 minutes) | 0.80 € | not available |
| Electronic ticket (see below) | 0.50 € | 0.30 € |
| Paper ticket (24 hours) | 2.40 € | not available |
| Paper ticket (168 hours) | 8.40 € | not available |
Paper tickets
Paper tickets are available in three different time validities – 60 minutes, 24 hours and 7 days. Each of them can be purchased directly at the bus driver in cash. We recommend having the exact amount ready to reduce the time the bus spends at the stop. The 60-minute option is also available in reduced fare for children under 15 years of age, students with a valid student ID under 26 years of age and pensioners 70 years of age or over.
All of these tickets are valid on all bus routes 1 to 99 and transfers are allowed.
Electronic tickets
Electronic tickets are purchased by touching a topped-up travel card onto a validator inside a bus. When the ticket is successfully validated, a short beep will play and the subtracted price will be displayed on the validator. The electronic tickets are valid for one journey, but a single transfer within 40 minutes of the original purchase will result in a free-of-charge ticket. This ticket is also valid for one journey, and even though it does not cost extra money, it must be validated.
Just as paper tickets, these also offer a reduced fare option for the categories of passengers listed above. Information about where to get a travel card for the public transport in Nitra are below.
| Location | Address | Opening hours |
| City market, opposite of Mlyny | Štúrova St. 7 | Mon–Fri 09:00–17:00 |
| Bus station, nearby pfm. 35 | Coboriho St. 1 | Mon–Fri 07:00–15:00 & Sat 08:00–12:00 |
SMS tickets
SMS tickets can be purchased by sending any character as a text message to 1177. It costs 0.80 € and is valid for 70 minutes since the returning message with the ticket itself has been received. The ticket is not valid until this message has been received – that may take up to 2 minutes.
This service is only available to users of Slovak cellular connection providers with SMS payments enabled.
Prepaid tickets
| Prepaid ticket time validity | Full fare | Reduced fare |
| 30 days (~1 month) | 20.00 € | 12.00 € |
| 90 days (~3 months) | 50.00 € | 30.00 € |
| 180 days (~6 months) | 90.00 € | 54.00 € |
Prepaid tickets can be loaded onto a travel card (the same type of card used for electronic single-journey tickets) at Arriva Nitra's ticket offices. They have to be validated upon bus entry, even when changing routes (transferring).
Travel cards with prepaid tickets loaded onto them can also store credit, which means that any day the prepaid tickets becomes expired, the card owner can automatically pay in credit to commute. Also, prepaid tickets can be purchased with their first validity day up to 30 days in the future.
Fare types and discounts
The default fare available for everyone regardless of their age or health conditions is the full fare. For specific age categories and people with health disabilities, a reduced fare is available, which offers a 40% discount on all tickets. It is neccessary to show a verification card during a ticket inspection. The chart below describes the types of passengers, for whom the reduced fare is available.
| Passenger type | Required verification |
| Children 6 to 14 years of age (incl.) | None |
| Students up to 25 years of age (incl.) | Student card (ISIC) |
Additionally, children up to 5 years of age (incl.) are allowed to travel on the public transport for free. Transporting strollers, wheelchairs, luggage and dogs is also free of charge.
Fines
If the passenger is for any reason unable to show a valid ticket or a discount ID, they have to pay a fine and the price of a full-fare 60-minute ticket (0.80 €) plus:
- 20.00 € if paid on the spot or within 3 workdays
- 40.00 € if paid between 4 and 30 days after the fine had been issued
- 70.00 € if paid any later
If the passenger owns a valid discount ID, but cannot show it during ticket inspection, they can show it at Arriva Nitra's main ticket office (Štúrova St. 72) within 5 workdays and only pay 5.00 €.