hey Caroline i was just asking myself the same thing. If u get an answer please let me know :).

for a 50cc moped you just need to be 16 yrs. old no drivers permit necessary.

you can even rent them for the summer at some places.

and for a 125cc? If have a french driving licence B can i drive one?

check your license.. if its has "Class A" and 25kw  on it then yes. if not I think youre limited somewhere... check with the license peopel is probably best.

Epicure,

do you know where I can rent?

Thank you,

Paula

Yes please let me know too where you can rent them?

Thanks,

Caroline

For a licence I hope this can help : 

http://www.ge.ch/san/permis-de-conduire-et-permis-d-eleve/welcome.asp?rubrique=nouvelles-categories-de-permis-de-conduire&titre=Nouvelles_categories_de_permis_de_conduire

Thx u very much Vincent

Thank you everyone..

As far as I know (but I am NOT an expert):

1. For 50 CC that is limited to 50 km / hour (they do some tech thing to prevent it from going faster): you don't need any license. 

2. For 50 CC that is not limited in speed: if you have a car license, then you're OK to use this too. 

3. For 125 CC: you can ride it for a year without a special license, but during this year you have to take a few hours of lessons. 

Again, I'm not an expert, so I might be wrong. 

nir

Hi,

for 125 if you have a foreign car licence you need to get a provisonal licence and then do 8hrs of lessons within 6 months (I'd recommend simplycity.ch). Then you go back with your stamped form and will be given a licence for up to 125cc. Another 4hrs and a practical test and you can ride anything.

This applies to most non swiss licences except Italian which can permit you to ride a scooter/ motorbike without any lessons/ provisonal licence.

Don't do what I did and assume your UK/ wherever licence covers you for these until you convert to swiss...

Feehary:

Thanks. Do you know if the exact same rules apply for holders of a Swiss car driver licence?

Nir

If you look on the back of your driving license it will have a letter. "B" corresponds to a driving license for normal cars. "A" corresponds to motorbikes and "A1" corresponds to scooters with upto 125cc and/or maximum of 25kW.

If you have a UK license and you change it for a Swiss one, (or if you already have a Swiss one) you won't get the A1 automatically (as you would with a French / Italian license) and you'll have to:

1) Get an eye test (20chf, any optician does them)

2) Go to the Bureau des Autos et de la Navigation with your Eye-test certificate, B-Permit and Driving License. Ask for a Permis Élève (100chf). They'll give you a provisional driving license and a form.

3) Decide whether you just want to be able to ride a scooter or whether you want to ride a big bike. For scooters (A1) you need 8 hours of lesson; for motorbikes (A) you need 12 and an exam. After your lessons, get the form stamped and signed by the driving school.

4) Go back to the Bureau des Autos et de la Navigation and hand in your driving license, provisional license, stamped/signed form and they'll make a new permit while you wait (100chf again, I think).

Hope that helps!

BTW - I have a 125cc scooter for sale, she's a beauty. But have a look at the Classifieds if you're interested, because selling stuff is no theme for a forum;-)

Yes they do.

I went through the process when I couldn't convince the lady at the Automobile office that my UK licence covered me for up to 125cc.

They key is that if you have a car licence there is no written test (a deal breaker for me I suspect) for either A1 (up to 125cc) or A (anything bigger than 125cc).

As mentioned Simplycity.ch were extremely good at shepherding me through the 8 hours... (no, I'm not on commission, but I do believe in promoting good service).

Ok, this is the deal.(I just got a scooter, and had long conversations with the scooter selling people...)

If you have a foreign driver's licence (at least European, I guess), you are allowed to drive a 50 cc with limited speed (45-50 km/hour), and they have YELLOW plates!

If you don't have a driver's licence already you must get a scooter/moped one at a driving school.

If you want to drive more than 50 cc with speed limit, and you have a foreign driver's licence, you must first get a Swiss licence (eye test, pay fee, fill out form) and then take 8 hours of driving lessons for motorbikes in a school, to get the correct licence.

Good luck!

As far as I can see, nobody has actually answered whether or not one can ride in the bicycle lane yet (or the bus lane). Not sure about this myself, actually, but I think so.

Anybody who knows for sure???

No you absolutely can not.

I have seen several scooters/ motorbikes get pulled by the police for being in the cycle lane.

However clearly the whole point of having one is to not sit in traffic.

So enjoy the moral dilema.

I didn't spend half a second figuring out it was well worth the risk...

And the bus/taxi lane???

I don't think so; at quite a few places the bus/ taxi lane has its own lights/ priority which definitely does not apply to Cars/ scooters/ motorbikes.

Again, I'd say 80% of sccoters/ motorbikes use them. So probably 100% foreigners and half the swiss....

Feehary:

I like your logic mate...(-: