Laila Rodriguez
New M bus service to Saint Julien – Map ©TPG
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – The Geneva public transportation system TPG announced new schedules and bus lines in the canton:
- As of 18 February, a new bus line (codenamed “M”) will connect Collonges-sous-Salève and Saint-Julien, France
- The M line will connect with bus line 44 (Carouge – Croix-de-Rozon) and the D bus in Saint-Julien
- As of 4 February, lines 11, 18, 57, D and Dn have altered their timetables to accomodate construction schedules
- Next week – 11 to 15 February – the Geneva public schools go on their mid-winter break, which means reduced service, therefore check the schedules
Laila Rodriguez
Changes to schedules and new lines in Geneva – Photo ©TPG
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – As of 9 December, several Geneva metropolitan and cantonal bus routes and schedules have changed, including increased bus services during Ascension, Pentecost, Jeûne Genevois and the week before school holidays.
As a matter of fact the Transport Public Genevois, TPG, has announced that as of 2013 the above dates will no longer be considered as “petites vacances” and that buses will maintain their regular schedules during these periods.
Laila Rodriguez
BERN, SWITZERLAND – The 2012 school year is just beginning but two giant Swiss companies are getting ready to hire over 1,000 youth through apprenticeship programmes. The call goes out to those aged 16 to 25 who have already finished or will have finished their obligatory schooling by May 2013.
The Swiss Post has announced that in 2013 it will be offering 750 apprenticeships throughout the country.
Most of the apprenticeships are in retail and logistics, followed by commerce and IT. However, the Swiss Post is also looking for mediamatics and automation technicians, truck drivers and call centre reps.
Youth are encouraged to apply early to secure a spot in the three-year programme.
Swisscom is also offering hundreds of apprenticeships for 2013.
The Swiss telecommunications giant will be hosting information sessions starting on 19 September in Swiss romande. Youth are encouraged to attend either the half-day or full day sessions to get a better feel for the opportunities offered.
The phone and Internet provider offers apprenticeships in commerce, mediamatics, telematics and customer service.
For more information:
Laila Rodriguez
This little girl will be happy to get new glasses through her basic health insurance
BERN, SWITZERLAND – The Swiss Federal Office of Public Health has announced that as of 1 July 2012, money spent purchasing eyeglasses and contact lenses for children up to age 18, are once again being reimbursed as part of the Swiss basic medical insurance.
Federal Councillor Alain Berset decided to reintroduce the reimbursement as part of the basic health insurance following expert medical opinion that concluded that correcting a sight defect in childhood is equivalent to treating an eye disease in adults.
The refund will be CHF180 per year, provided that an ophthalmologist prescribes the glasses or contact lenses.
According to the decision, most childhood visual defects should be treated to prevent developing amblyopia or “lazy eye” (the decreased vision in one or both eyes without detectable anatomic damage to the retina or visual pathways), which is usually uncorrectable by eyeglasses or contact lenses in adulthood.
The decision will cover the contact and spectacle lenses if the defect is the result of an “illness” and not the result of an “accident”.
The consumer magazine, Bon à Savoir, says Swiss eyeglass retailer Visilab will continue offering kids glasses for around CHF180 while Fielmann will continue selling organic frames and lenses for about CHF20 (Yes, organic and for CHF20). Berdoz Optic will now offer two pair of glasses for CHF180. Optic 2000 will no longer offer free frames for kids glasses.
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Laila Rodriguez
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – One of my weekend pastimes in Geneva has been discovering museums in the city, and while there is much debate on whether or not Geneva has world-quality museums, I find there is plenty of room for discussion and plenty to see.
Here’s the deal, entry to permanent collections in all of the municipal museums (14 in total) is free of charge, all year round.
Entry to temporary exhibitions is free of charge on the first Sunday of the month in all 14 municipal museums, or about CHF5-CHF10 other days.
List of the free, public museums in Geneva
Centre d'Art en l'Ile, a former market now houses art and video installations - Photo ©Jared Bloch
Laila Rodriguez
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – I recently heard of a Geneva resident who got ticketed in Switzerland for driving a vehicle with foreign license plates. His relatives visiting him here had asked him to drive it. Well, here’s what I found:
Laila Rodriguez
Spring allergy season is on! - Photo Gabriela RRB
Geneva, Switzerland – If you are one of the millions of people who suffer of an “exaggerated immune response” to allergens such as pollen, you might find this post useful.
A national pollen count is provided by the Swiss national weather bureau, MeteoSwiss.
The pollen map is provided in English but allergen advisories and more in-depth information is only given in Switzerland’s three national languages.
Puffy eyes? It could be the result of a rise in ozone levels. Check out the Swiss government site for more information (in English).
It could also be that you have symptoms but do not know if you have allergies. A European-based website show you connections between your possible allergic symptoms and allergen contents of the air in the area where you are (European territory only).
Resources:
- Daily pollen count, in English
- Pollen and allergen forecast, in the three national languages, as well as birch pollen concentration maps
- Register to get daily text messages with the pollen forecast (.40/text), in the three national languages only
- Hourly ozone maps by the Federal Office for the Environment, the maps are based on the ozone concentrations from about 90 Swiss monitoring stations
Other resources
- Swiss UV Index map
- Pollen diary (check your symptoms against allergen levels)
- PM-10 (particulates) concentrations around Switzerland
- Air pollution index maps for the Lake Geneva region
Whew! Here’s to a healthy day.
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Laila Rodriguez
Geneva, Switzerland – If your teens are staying in Geneva during the summer holidays then the prospect of a seasonal job may be of interest.
Every year the city and the canton of Geneva offer summer jobs that include up to 350 activities. All jobs are offered for a maximum of three weeks beginning on or after 20 June and ending 26 August.
Applicants must meet three requirements to qualify:
Laila Rodriguez
Tai Chi lessons offered by the city of Geneva - Photo courtesy Ville de Geneve
Geneva, Switzerland – If you, or someone you know is over 60 and feeling isolated or finding it difficult to cope, Caritas Geneve, offers outings and a support line that can help overcome their situation.
A phone line geared for those over 60 offers callers advice and support, from information on topics such as taxes or benefits, to simply a friendly voice with whom to chat with. Katia Hechmati, a social worker with Caritas who runs the helpline says the service is also offered in English or Spanish.
The phone line operates every Wednesday from 13:00 to 17:00 – call +41 (0) 22 708 0475.
Outings
Laila Rodriguez
Geneva, Switzerland – This is our list of useful, non-emergency phone numbers in Geneva and Switzerland. For a list of Geneva and Swiss emergency phone numbers see our Resources Page or read an earlier post of Geneva Living.
If you dial from an-outside-of-Switzerland phone, or from Skype, you may still access some of these numbers by previously adding +41 848 800 to the three digit numbers: Read more…