Student public-transport commune subsidies (Mobilis / tl)

Last checked: 5 Oct 2026. Unofficial student guide, not EPFL or government advice: confirm on the linked official pages before you act. Unfamiliar abbreviation? See the Glossary.

Companion to Getting around.

Why this page

EPFL’s public-transport page tells students that some communes subsidize season tickets, naming Lausanne, Epalinges, Ecublens and Chavannes-près-Renens, and asking you to contact your municipality. Half-Fare / GA / regional vouchers EPFL describes under “staff” are not the ordinary student path.

Source: EPFL, Public transportation

Day-1 buy/advice desk on campus: tl sales point, Maison de la mobilité (BI A0 432), Mon-Fri 9:00-13:00 / 13:30-17:00 (EPFL same page). Mobilis prices: mobilis-vaud.ch (re-check live).

Before you apply (any commune)

Be registered as a resident of that commune (Contrôle des habitants), not only “studying at EPFL.”
Buy the pass type the commune’s scheme covers (often annual Mobilis / FlexiAbo with named zones). Base fares change; use official Mobilis / tl pages.
Keep SwissPass + purchase receipt + enrolment proof if the form asks for them.
EPFL staff Half-Fare / GA / myCAMIPRO regional vouchers: staff rules (typically ≥50% contract ≥12 months). Ordinary Bachelor/Master students: use commune schemes + youth Mobilis tariffs, not those staff vouchers.

Lausanne

Hub: Rabais tl (distribution de bons)
Background: Subventions transports publics

Who (online bon request page): principal residence in Lausanne + AVS number + one of the listed categories, including jeune en formation (20-24 ans).

What Lausanne describes for jeunes en formation: 50% reduction on an annual Mobilis zones 11-12, with a CHF 40 participation (émolument). Example table on the subventions page (24-year-old in training) shows how that nets against the list price; re-check the live table before you budget.

Apply: online from the Rabais tl page; Lausanne states processing in principle 10 working days, then the bon by post.

Under 20 / school transport schemes: separate “transports scolaires” rules (often automatic attestation by post). University students 20-24: use the Rabais tl path above.

Renens

Hub: Subventions pour transports publics

Renens states you normally do nothing: bons are mailed once a year to eligible residents.

Annual Mobilis or FlexiAbo (must include zone 12):

CHF 150 for young people 16-24
CHF 150 for seniors at AVS reference age
CHF 250 for PC AVS/AI beneficiaries

Young people 16-24 receive the bon in June; seniors / PC in February. Arrivals mid-year: wait for the next annual mailing (Renens wording).

Ecublens

Hub: Subventions transports publics

Two different tracks (do not mix them up):

Jeunes après scolarité obligatoire (cohésion sociale, Prestations communales / subsides): not an EPFL Bachelor/Master route. The commune Directives for subsidies to parents (édition 2020, PDF) say the subsidy goes to parents for a child still dependent on them, up to 20 ans révolus (commune page and Aug 2026 news word it as « jusqu'à l'année de leurs 20 ans »), with parents and child sharing a household with principal domicile in Ecublens. For transport (Art. 4) only annual passes count, capped at a Mobilis 2-zone annual pass, and the student must attend one of a closed list: OPTI, a transition measure (Mobilet Renens), SEMO, gymnase, or a first unpaid training (CFC or recognised) of the Ecole des Métiers type. University / EPFL / HES study is not on that list. It is also means-tested on household income (barème valid from 1.8.2025, PDF); the request form is filed by the legal representative with family income documents. Art. 11 leaves unforeseen cases to the service; contact Service de la cohésion sociale et du logement (Place du Motty 4, 021 695 33 80) only if your situation is unusual. For EPFL students, track 2 below is the relevant one.
Fonds développement durable form n° 10 “transports publics” (PDF état 20.8.2026, also listed under Subventions communales): inhabitant amounts include Mobilis annuel Fr. 200.- , demi-tarif Jeunes 16-25 Fr. 50.- , demi-tarif Adultes Fr. 100.-, AG Fr. 300.-; typically once every 5 years; SwissPass + purchase receipt; apply within 6 months of purchase; not cumulative with certain other communal subsidies (Passeport vélo exception). Open the live PDF before applying.

Chavannes-près-Renens

Hub: Subventions communales (online form + Conditions d’octroi pour subventions de transports publics)

Live conditions PDF (Conditions_octroi_subvention_TP.pdf; PDF metadata Mar 2024; hub page updated 17 Aug 2026). Flat CHF for inhabitants (one request per person, non-renewable, non-cumulative; apply within 6 months of purchase; invoice + proof of payment in the buyer’s name; for Jeunes passes, also a copy of the pass):

Half-Fare Jeunes 16-25: CHF 50
Half-Fare Adultes: CHF 100
Mobilis annuel: CHF 200
Abonnement Général: CHF 100
AG Famille: 20% of cost, max CHF 100

Scheme budget note in that PDF: up to CHF 2'500/month for this measure (max CHF 30'000/year total); once exhausted, no further awards that year. Contact on PDF/page: Service des Travaux (travaux@chavannes.ch / 021 633 33 60).

Also: Transports publics (network pointers + link to subventions).

Epalinges

EPFL lists Epalinges. Official entry: Subventions FEED (directive + forms; mobilité measures under FEED).

Directive FEED 2026 (PDF, in force from 18 May 2026; mobilité annual envelope CHF 200'000 indicative). Student-relevant Mobilis / FlexiAbo rows (annual nominative pass; 1-year wait before a second request; mobility form: apply within 6 months of purchase, with training proof where required):

Mobilis Jeune (en formation) ages 20-25: 40%, cap CHF 400
Mobilis Jeune (en emploi) 20-25: 20%, cap CHF 250
Mobilis Adulte (en formation) ages 25-40: 40%, cap CHF 400
Mobilis Adulte 25-65: 20%, cap CHF 250
FlexiAbo 100 Jeune 20-25: 40%, cap CHF 200
FlexiAbo 100 Adulte 25-65: 20%, cap CHF 150

Other AG / Demi-tarif PLUS / Interrail rows exist; open the Directive for the full table. Form: Mobilité durable 2026. Contact: energie@epalinges.ch / 021 785 61 65 (page).

Age bands are hard limits on those rows: Directive FEED 2026 wording is « Personne en formation de 20 à 25 ans » (Mobilis Jeune en formation) and « Personne en formation de 25 à 40 ans » (Mobilis Adulte en formation); the Mobilité form checkbox is « Abo Mobilis – Jeune (20-25 ans) ou Adulte (25-40 ans) en formation ». There is no under-20 Mobilis Jeune-en-formation row and no catch-all for ages under 20 or over 40 for that measure. EPFL Bachelor/Master with a training certificate fits « en formation » inside those bands only (justificatif de formation). Under 20: do not expect that FEED row; Epalinges has a separate Attestations abonnements de bus path for other young residents 11 to 20 ans révolus (50% on an annual Mobilis, CHF 40 admin fee; bons mailed in the second half of July by the office de l'enfance). Same idea as Lausanne under-20 / school transport above. Other FEED pass rows (e.g. Demi-tarif PLUS from 18) are in the Directive table (cite that table for CHF).

What this page does not do

It does not replace Mobilis youth tariffs or Half-Fare bought as a private customer on sbb.ch / tl.
Staff EPFL Half-Fare eligibility is only for students with an EPFL employment contract that meets LEX / Mobility staff rules.
Mobilis list prices (base fares) are on Mobilis / tl; commune % / CHF above come from live conditions / Directive PDFs; re-check those PDFs before you budget.

Sources

Unofficial student project. Commune budgets and age cut-offs change; follow the linked form.