Bellevue, Zurich

The Bellevue hub in the city of Zurich and Stadelhofen station form the heart of the late-night services offered by the Zurich regional transport network (ZVV), which include both bus and S-Bahn connections. The night-time network operates on Friday and Saturday nights.

Bellevueplatz became a hub for night buses in 1994 when Zurich Public Transport introduced one of Switzerland’s first late-night bus services in the city and adjacent suburbs. In 2002, the late-night transport services, which were used by 80,000 to 90,000 customers annually at the time, were integrated into the ZVV and gradually expanded to cover the entire network area, incorporating the S-Bahn services into the offering. During the process, the night-time network hub of Bellevue was extended to include Stadelhofen station. 2003 already saw some 130,000 passengers using the bus services from Bellevue, a figure which had more than doubled by 2009, with over 270,000 passengers.

In addition to a competitive range of services, easy access with a transparent, visible offering and clear network structure, direct connections, highly secure connections and capacity management, the Bellevue hub is also one of the success factors behind the ZVV night-time network. Thanks to the large number of passersby, the square at the heart of Zurich and the surrounding area are busy, even at night, and can easily be reached on foot or by bicycle.  This, along with the design of the hub, gives passengers a great sense of security. Connections are easy, thanks to the passenger information system, short distances between services and coordinated arrival and departure times.

Other factors behind the success include the exemplary information and marketing campaigns for the night-time network, which promote it to the public in an original style with a uniform image.