Jet 'ZET'
The efficient and inexpensive way to get around Zagreb
The Zagrebački električni tramvaj (Zagreb Electric Tramway) – ZET – is Zagreb’s transit authority responsible for public transportation in the city and some of the surrounding areas in Zagreb County. Tram service began on September 5, 1891. In 1931, ZET added buses to the fleet.
Today ZET includes trams, buses, school buses, the short funicular that connects Tomićeva Ulica with Zagreb Stross (Strossmayerovo Promenade) – built in 1890 and began service on April 23, 1893 – and the Žičara Sljeme (Sljeme gondola lift/cable car), which operated from 1963-2007, then was rebuilt and reopened April 2022.
Since I’ve been living in Zagreb, ZET has added two new state-of-the-art trams, the first electric bus, and seven new school buses, per their Facebook page and The City of Zagreb page.
It has been my experience that ZET’s Facebook page is the best place for me to learn about service disruptions and changes. If you keep reading, you’ll learn why.
My apartment is about a half of a mile from a few tram stations, which is another reason I love my neighborhood, Trešnjevka. My preferred station is Trešnjevački trg, because the street I walk along is bustling, vibrant – and makes for good people watching – it has lots of places to visit and/or shop.
The tram stop itself has stores nearby like Konzum and Müller – and a large farmers’ market. The street has a DM (a major European chain ‘drogerie’ – a drugstore without pharmacies – they are separate stores), a bio&bio (a grocery chain specializing in diets like organic, gluten-free, etc.) – plus many cafés, bars, restaurants, salons, and independent shops (like bakeries, a butcher, etc.) – plus a couple of pharmacies and a printing company (which I use frequently). There’s also one American restaurant, Domino’s Pizza – it’s often quite busy, offering delivery and dine-in.
Three tram lines serve this station, the 3, 9, and 12. My most frequent tram line is the 12, which takes me to/from the main square, Trg bana Josipa Jelačića (Ban Josep Jelačić Square), named after national hero – a general and politician – Josip Jelačić Bužimski, who served as the Ban of Croatia, Dalmatia, and Slavonia from 1848 to 1859.
I could take a local bus, the 118. I’ve taken it once with a friend, but I prefer the tram. I still get excited when the 12 pulls up to the square.
ZET has a number of ticketing options – single-ride paper tickets, multi-day tickets, a reloadable card that’s best for those who use the tram daily, and a phone app that allows one to add money electronically to one’s account balance. The latter is the method I use.
Buses and trams have a QR code that you scan with the app to activate a ride. Most of my rides are within zone 1, so it costs 53c (53 euro cents, about 59 U.S. cents, per today’s exchange rate) for a 30-minute ride, which is more than enough time. For example, when I travel to/from the square, it’s a 12-minute ride. Nearly all of my rides have been less than 15 minutes. One time I got on the wrong tram and almost ran out of time, but I quickly bought another ride when I changed trams. Interestingly, I’ve only been checked for a ticket once since I began using ZET in mid-October. And of course, I fumbled around the app trying to find it. Now I know to click the conductor/police icon in the top left of the app to present the ticket.
I’ve only had one negative tram experience. I didn’t know the trams were being rerouted to avoid the square – and I was headed to the square, of course. After about 10-12 minutes, when I should have arrived already, I looked up from my phone (my mistake for not paying attention – I do now!) and saw I was no longer in center Zagreb. We were on a road that was similar to a highway. I got off the tram at the next stop, crossed the busy road, then started walking back the direction I came from. I didn’t know if I should get on the same tram number since I didn’t know where the rerouting would take me. I walked at least a mile – maybe two – a bit dazed and confused. I could have taken an Uber, but “mom didn’t raise no quitter”! I used Apple and Google maps on my phone to continue to downtown Zagreb by foot, then boarded a tram I knew for sure would return to Trešnjevački trg. It was that day I discovered ZET’s Facebook page – and now Facebook recognizes me as a “Top Fan”!
Another reason I chose Zagreb as my home in Croatia is because of ZET. I don’t have a car here – and I didn’t/don’t want a car. If I need one, I’ll rent. I also have a rental car company on the aforementioned street to the tram.
Subscriber secret: I hate driving. If I never drove a car again, I’d be happy!