Busskort

If you're going to live in Uppsala, you're going to want a bus card because of the fare structure:

In any case, one fare is good for 90 minutes, so you can get connecting buses without having to pay twice. With a cash fare, you get a paper ticket which you must show to the driver on the 2nd or subsequent buses. With an SMS “ticket”, you show the SMS to the driver. With a card, the time of your last fare is recorded on the card, and nothing is deducted when you use the card on the 2nd and subsequent buses.

A busskort for City Services in Uppsala

There are a few different types of card. They are physically identical and you have to pay a 75 SEK deposit on the card, which you can redeem if you return the card. You can get cards and top them up in any branch of Pressbyrån.

You'll probably want a värdekort, a kind of pre-payment card to which you can add money at any time in multiples of 100 SEK. A periodkort offers unlimited travel for one month (from the date of first use) and costs 550 SEK per month. In either case, you'll have to pay 75 SEK deposit on the card when you get it.

Using the Card

The cards use proximity technology. On every bus, there is a card reader (usually to the left of the driver) with 6 numbered buttons, and LCD display, a beeper, and 3 coloured lights. Hold the card close to the reader and the LCD display will show the amount remaining on your card (assuming you're using a värdekort). Press button 1. You never have to use any of the other buttons. If your card has enough money to pay (or you paid not more than 90 minutes earlier on another bus), the reader beeps once, deducts 15 SEK from the balance on the card (if not within 90 minutes of an earlier payment) and the green light will illuminate. If the amber light illuminates, you have very little money on your card and need to recharge. If the red light illuminates and the machine beeps repeatedly, you have insufficient money on the card for your trip and will have to pay cash to the driver (30 SEK).

SMS Payment

Text "UV" to 72472. You will be charged 20 SEK for this text. Within seconds, you will get a reply by SMS. Show this reply to the driver. The reply is good for travel for 90 minutes from the time you get it (it is time-stamped).