I was fined for not having a tram ticket in Poland. How does this affect me?

I was given a mandat in a tramwaj bcos I didn't have a ticket in szczecin about 6months ago,which I failed to pay.I am not a polish national but married with a polish woman.

I'd like to know how does this affect me/my polish wife in poland?

The bilet control didn't write my name correctly.For example,he wrote my middle name to be first name and just mix the names like that.But my DOB was correct but he also asked for my parents name....lol which I gave him different names.And also the address on my student card was incorrect.

Does anyone know how this work in szczecin poland?

can my wife got into any trouble in the future?
If I have to pay,how much will it be?

It probably won't affect you, but you're ..... not a very good example of a human being.

I'm sure you'll be buying tram tickets from now on.

It wasn't that I didn't have one but I was talking with my wife on phone and just got on the tram.It was just in a blink of an eye when I heard someone said "BILET PROSZE".I tried to beg but nothing I could.

Better to pay it. The mistake with your names probably doesn't mean much. If you leave it, however, a bailiff will come knocking sooner or later.

The mistakes mean that the ticket is legally invalid. But even so, leaving it isn't clever: they could take it to court and, as the OP wouldn't know that they did, the court would find against him because he didn't turn up.

I'm currently waiting for the bailiff to turn up after I failed to pay a bill of "-275zl" to my building administration. I assumed that "-275" meant that I had overpaid previously and so was in credit and had nothing to pay. They however wanted the money and as I didn't bother to go collect the registered letters sent to me about the court case (who has time to go stand in those queues when working full-time?), the court found against me. I'm trying to settle it but gits don't want to settle for less than the 700zl in court fees so it looks like I'll have to appeal the verdict (which will then mean that when I win they'll have to pay the court fees and thus will actually lose money).

Just pay it but if you do not next time get fake ID card with wrong address

Not a good idea. Criminally stupid, in fact.

An extremely stupid idea indeed. Would I prefer to be facing:
a) a 90zl fine; or
b) a prison sentence for fraud?

I wonder....

...but if you lose, you will be still -275, the 700, and new court fees. Smart. I would appeal.

I wouldn't pay, I believe the mass transit system in PL is atrocious

... besides the idea of having “tamwaj-cops“ chasing after people seems ridiculous.

Actually it's really good. You can get everywhere witout a car.

What would you do when they took the fine, plus court costs and execution fees from your bank account? Tell them you think the system is atrocious and the inspectors ridiculous and hope they'll waive the fine?

Here's the latest scam - the ticket vending machines in Warsaw give change in tokens: zyciewarszawy.pl/artykul/563957.html

it's good?? comparing to what? .
- overcrowded
- dirty
- drivers are unfriendly, tramwaj cops are arsholes
- unreliable during the peak hours
- inefficient...
I would rather run everywhere or ride a bicycle even in the winter time.

It's good comparing to Houston.

I would leave the country and never come back. Hmmm this is sort of what I did but not for that reason. 

And it runs from early till late, and above all is very, very cheap.

And how he is going to know it is fake address ?
It is not like you driving a car without driver license

news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7899171.stm

By looking at it, of course. He would need to show a Dowod Osobista or a Karta Pobytu. Neither of them easy to fake.

But hey, why not procure expensive, complicated and highly illegal fake government documents? You never know, you could save yourself 90zl.

So what you're saying is that Houston's mass transit can't compare to szczecin's.
You know, frankly I don't know for sure because I never had to use it here. I'm just assuming that it can't be so bad like in PL.

Makes an "as" out of "U" and "Ming".

You don't use it so don't worry.

So when you get a ticket you have to produce a dowod osobisty and karta bobytu ?
Sounds like Arizona when you get stopped you need ID and green card only if you are Mexican do.
Is Poland raciest country?

Whe you get stopped by a ticket inspector and ask for credit, you do. Otherwise it's cash.

or an old foreign drivers license. and he mentioned that it was an old student card in the post. just pretend it never happened and carry on. even with all the proper information, it probably wouldn't get to you.

next time buy a ticket. regardless of how horrible public transportation is, if you choose to ride it, you ought to pay for it. don't like the product? don't use it.

I wonder if he'd have got away with that in Warsaw.


Exactly. Public transport is rock-bottom cheap in Poland. Why steal? Especially tacky if it's someone foreign doing it.

Long time ago I got couth few times but never paid, it was not like I did not want to pay it was not worth the money for service a ride one stop so maybe they can have a different class of service to make it easier on people. I always bought a monthly pass but when in hurry or expire and not purchase new one yet, it happens sometimes.

Perhaps it might be so in some village, but in Poznan -

- clean, new trams. Even the older Konstal ones are getting renovated.
- who speaks to tram/bus drivers? the stops and the buses contain all the information you need
- it's very reliable. Peak time service from my suburban place to the centre is trams every 3 minutes.
- Poznan MPK is very efficient.
- cheap as chips


Depends if they can be bothered to chase you up for it. Polish bureaucrats are very petty - they'll spend hours chasing someone. I'm more surprised that they allowed you to get away with it without a Karta Pobytu/Dowod Osobisty, but that's their fault. The sensible thing to do is to go and pay - much easier than risking them taking you to court, finding you guilty in your absence and then you getting found out in the future.

About my only problem with Polish public transportation is the morons they employ to check tickets. But this is the same in almost any country - revenue enforcement officers tend to be morons by nature as the job doesn't involve compassion or understanding.

Sounds odd to me too. I left my monthly ticket at home last year, and they were quite clear - an official document with registered address or a fine (I think 90zl). In the end I just slipped them a 20 and they were happy.

and,its about here I began to whistle the theme to The Great Escape......" Gutt Luck." " Oh,Thank You,.....bugger...." :)


Nah,Id say Holland,those red striped windows 'l have yer eye out :)