Zones and rules when travelling through zones
The zone system
Read the rules for travelling across zone boundaries and calculating prices across zones. There are e.g. different ways to calculate zones when you buy Commuter cards. Read about all the rules here.
The common fare and zone system in Zealand allows you to freely transfer between buses, trains, and the metro using the same ticket or card, as long as it's within the zones they cover and within the valid time. However, for metro journeys with a commuter card, it requires selecting validity for the metro.
The area is divided into 211 zones, each having a zone number and an associated zone name. For example, zone 8 is also known as "Roskilde." Zone numbers are displayed at all bus stops and on many stations.
When you purchase a commuter card or a single ticket for a specific route, such as between Helsingør (zone 5) and Roskilde (zone 8), it is valid for travel between zone 5 and zone 8, not specifically between those two locations.
Zone borders
Buses or trains sometimes pass through a zone without making stops. Nevertheless, you must consider the zone when purchasing a ticket or card.
There are differences in how zone changes occur and how they are marked at stations and bus stops. Zone changes are announced on buses through the bus's display or the bus's speaker system.
Traveling on regular buses:
There can be multiple bus stops within the same zone. Zone changes typically occur at a stop (a "border stop"). You can ride to the stop where a new zone number is first displayed on the stop sign. The zone number indicates the zone you are entering.
So, you can get off at a "border stop" without having a valid ticket or card for that zone. At "border stops," there will usually be different zone numbers for the two stops on either side of the road.
In cities, buses only stop at the designated stops listed in the schedules.
If traffic conditions outside of cities allow it, and there is a distance of more than 600 meters between stops, most regular bus lines allow customers to board and alight the bus even if there is no designated bus stop. Such stretches are called "flag stops." You can find information about flag stops when using the travel planner. Special types of bus lines (e.g., S-buses) only stop at the indicated stops.
When a customer wants to board a bus at a flag stop, they should signal the driver clearly well in advance. When it's dark, a flashlight or reflective item should be used to get the driver's attention.
When a customer wants to get off the bus at a flag stop, they should ask the driver to stop in good time. Buses only stop at locations where it's legal to do so according to traffic regulations. It's the driver who determines whether it's legal and safe to stop the bus.
Special cases for R-, S-, and E-buses:
Zone changes can occur at bus stops, but the zone often changes between bus stops. You need a valid ticket or card for the zones the bus is traveling in.
Traveling by train and metro:
Zone changes can occur at stations or between stations. Stations on a zone border typically have two zone numbers, and some stations have multiple zone numbers.
If the zone changes at a station, you can ride to the station where the zone changes. So, you can get off at a "border station" without having a valid ticket or card for the zone the train continues into.
If the zone changes between two stations, you must have a valid ticket or card for both zones. You should always have a valid ticket for the zones you are traveling in.
Zone calculation for short journeys (2-8 zones)
"Through-travel" and "ring zones"
For short journeys, there are two principles for calculating zones. For trips on commuter cards up to 8 zones, the through-travel principle applies. For short single tickets, the ring zones principle applies.
Through-Travel - Commuter Cards
When you travel with a commuter card for up to 8 zones, you pay for the number of zone numbers you travel through, but at least two zones.
So, on a 3-zone commuter card, you can indeed travel within the three zones that the pass is valid for.
Ring Zones - Single Ticket
When you travel on single tickets for short journeys, you pay for the number of zones you travel through, including the zone where your journey starts.
Imagine throwing a stone into water. Rings form around the point of impact, first one, then two, then three, and so on. The starting point for your journey is the place (zone) where the stone hits the water. When you travel on a 2-zone ticket, you can travel within the starting zone and the area covered by the first ring. With a 4-zone ticket, you can travel within the starting zone, the first, second, and third ring areas, and so on.
The starting point is always the zone where you physically are at the beginning of your journey. This starting zone is indicated on your single ticket for short journeys. It counts as the first zone and is always marked in red on the colored zone maps at the location where your journey begins. At stations located on zone borders, there may be multiple stations that serve as starting points. These zones are marked in red on the zone maps.
The most expensive zone determines the price for single tickets for short journeys.
When you travel with a single ticket for short journeys, you should find your route on the map and take note of which color zones it passes through. The price is always determined by the most expensive color zone (usually the one farthest away), whether that's where your journey ends or if you're just passing through it along the way.
Going out and coming back doesn't always cost the same for single ticket journeys for short trips.
Even if you choose the same route going and coming back, you may find that the bus or train passes through a more expensive color zone in one direction than the other. Therefore, you may sometimes have to pay different prices for going out and coming back. It's the farthest (most expensive) color zone you travel through along the way that determines the price.
The trip by S-train from Svanemøllen to Friheden and back is an example of how it can be cheaper to go out than to return. The "ripple effect" principle is used here on the journey from Svanemøllen (zone 2) to Friheden (zone 33) via Copenhagen H. (zone 1) and back.
From Svanemøllen to Friheden:
You "throw the stone" into zone 2. It's the zone you start in and the center of your journey (shown in red). Rings form around it.
The first ring (turquoise) consists of all the zones adjacent to the starting zone. The first ring includes both zone 1 and zone 33. So, you can travel from zone 2 to zone 33 through zone 1 when you have a 2-zone ticket (the starting zone and the first ring).
From Friheden to Svanemøllen (example):
On the return journey, you "throw the stone" into zone 33. Now it's the center of the journey (shown in red). Rings form around it once again.
The first ring (turquoise) covers zone 2 but not zone 1. Therefore, you need the second ring, which includes all the zones adjacent to the first ring. The journey thus requires a ticket for three zones: the starting zone (red), the first ring (turquoise), and the second ring (light blue).
Zone calculation for journeys through more than 8 zones
Single tickets for 9 zones and above are issued for a "relation," which means it's a ticket or card that applies to the route between two named stations or locations and, thus, to the stretch between the zone you depart from and the zone you travel to.
The starting point is always, regardless of where you purchase the ticket, that you don't need to consult zone maps or anything else to become familiar with the number of zones included in the journey.
The ticket's price is calculated based on the 'longest sub-section' (measured in straight-line zones) on the natural route of the specific stretch. For example: A-(C)-B is 9 zones as the crow flies, A-C is 11 zones, and C-B is 8 zones. The longest sub-section is 11 zones.
If the long journey ticket is issued from A to B without specifying a via-point, it is priced based on a zone distance of 9 zones, and it is only valid on natural travel routes between A and B with no longest leg exceeding 9 zones.
If the long journey ticket is issued from A to B via C, it is priced based on a zone distance of 11 zones, and it is valid on all natural travel routes between A and B, including via C.
The ticket will display the departure zone and destination zone, as well as any via-zone if applicable. If you're traveling from Frederikssund to Gentofte, you can buy a ticket either via the Ring Line, where the ticket states "via Flintholm-Hellerup," or via Copenhagen H, where the ticket states "via Copenhagen H."
The first ticket covers 9 zones, and the last one covers 10 zones. The ticket is only valid for one naturally progressing journey, and it can always be used for a shorter route than the one indicated on the ticket.
In this example, with the "via Copenhagen H" ticket (10 zones), you can also choose to travel via Flintholm-Hellerup. However, if you have purchased the "via Flintholm-Hellerup" ticket, you cannot opt to travel via Copenhagen H.
Zone calculation for rejsekort
For Rejsekort, you only pay for the direct route between the starting zone and the destination zone. This means that even if the journey passes through a more expensive zonal area en route that is farther away than the destination zone, you only pay for the distance measured in a straight line from where you check in to where you check out.
Therefore, the number of zones in a straight-line distance forms the basis for calculating the fare for a journey unless you have spent an unreasonably long time on your journey. In that case, a time-based fare is calculated.
In the example of traveling between Svanemøllen and Friheden in section 2.1, the price will be the same regardless of the direction of the journey.
You can find more information on this at www.rejsekort.dk.