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

That's what she said when caught on a bus w/o a ticket.

Mass transit - that includes PKP, LOT, and metro/tram/bus systems. You guys need to work on improving it, raise your standards a bit, or purchase it all from someone that knows how to manage it better.

There's nothing wrong with most bus/tram systems in Poland. In fact, you're welcome to point out where they can be improved - generally speaking, public transport within municipalities is effective, cheap and reliable in Poland. As for LOT - they're not doing so badly themselves.

Only the PKP Group/Przewozy Regionalne is suffering, and that's all due to uncooperating trade unions who simply don't want to modernise, as well as a Government which is firmly in the pockets of the road lobby.

And hey - at least there *is* a public transport system in Poland.

touche Jonni

An alternative is to just tell them that they are violating your rights as an EU citizen and you demand that they go with you to the nearest police station. They will then tell you that they are calling the police and one of them will pretend to make a phone call, while he is doing that you pretend to call somebody and tell them "I'm going to be late for the meeting, I've been pulled off a tram and need to go to the police station to clear this up." They will lose interest and get onto the next tram.

It's basically a variation on the "Show me your ticket inspector's ID card. That's a fake. I won't pay you unless we go to the police station and they confirm to me that this ID card is not a fake." routine.

I've been in Houston and had to use it's .... "mass (ha ha ha!) transit (ha ha ha!)"

Donkey carts infested with diseased rats would be better than the Houston bus system.

Mass transit in Poland isn't always pretty but it works remarkably well in moving people where they need to go when they need to at a reasonable cost.

It often doesn't satisfy the Polish public, but then _nothing_ would satisfy the Polish public.

That's sucks lol, why didn't you rent a car? Honestly, only poor people or environmentally conscious would use it there, see Houston is so spread-out that everyone else just drives. That's why they build 8 lane highways going each and every direction. Co kraj (state) to obyczaj.

A standard procedure in Szczecin for this kind of offence is kidnapping your wife and molesting your dog. Or other way round, not sure...

Person I was visiting didn't have a car at the time (loooong story) and I didn't have a valid drivers license (got it renewed in a side visit to home state) but by then it was too late.

It's a major life quality failure of most US large cities that public transport is such a goat committee meeting (goat rodeo would suggest something actually happening).

Hi people, Im new here, I need to ask the same question, but Im an erasmus student here and in the middle of february I will leave Poland and most likely never come back. So what would happen if I don't pay the fine? Can they court me from my country, is it possible?

Babe, that's great that you're a student, you must be very clever and intelligent)
I think it's best if you pay the fine, you're supposed to do that, should not be too much, sweets

Not because its too much but because I don't have much money for it. Its 188zl. I know I should and I had a 3 month validation, it ended today, I totally forgot about it, my card was invalid. Do you have a certain knowledge about how it works, would there be any court for it because I will be in another country..

Actually it's not an official fine, like the one from police, but something called an "extra payment". From the side of the law, it looks as if you didn't pay for a service, and you have a debt in the transportation company (or in a special company which is only checking tickets and the transportation company has an agreement with them). They may sell your debt to a collection agency in the future. Will that agency look for you abroad? I have no idea.

Isn't there any discount if you pay the fine earlier? In £ódź there is such a thing and the discount is quite high.

Its a no brainer they dont have your name or a correct address unless they have photogrphic evidence of the offence they cant do anything

I had a parking ticket for not leaving 1.5 meters of space on the path I went to the police asked them to provide photogrphic evidence which they did not have they wrote off the ticket as it was the police officers word against mine

I know, I love doing that on one of the bus routes I use. I then pull out my over-sized Android phone and put my ID round my neck. You should see the worried looks I get! I then go "Just kiddin'!"

By the way, for some reason I'm just not very popular in these parts.

Honey, this is my suggestion. Write them a letter explaining that you're sorry about your card being invalid, but you don't have the money for it, and hope they have a nice day. I know they will forgive you <3 Hugs and kisses.

Pretty well yes. If you're a Polish citizen and they've seen your Dowod Osobisty (with address) they do however send bailiffs.

The idea of chasing someone abroad for a 40 quid excess fare is unlikely - it wouldn't be worth it.

Better to pay it though (much cheaper if you pay within a week) - credit checks may be rolled out Europe-wide and it wouldn't be good to have a black mark on the system.

And why wouldn't ypu pay your fine?

I'm an erasmus student here, I came here with limited amount of money, I have to make do. With this fine, it sends me out of my course. That's a problem for me..

You shouldn't have trespassed in the first place. And now it is pay-up time. Why do you judge yourself better as people who live here, and have to pay?

Well, you didn't tell me anything that I don't know. So, you wasted your own time...

You "forgot" your karta miejska expired. if we local people do this we have to pay up. Why should you be different?

Sobieski, Akirnic would pay but she simply does not have the money. It's kind of like when your money is stolen and you have to take the bus to go home anyways or something like that. In my opinion she should write a nice letter explaining, the truth is always the best. For example in I can do bad all by myself, a Tyler Perry movie, some children tried to steal from Madea, and she fed them and told them that if they need something they can just ask and people will help them :)

I wonder if you spoke Polish when you got caught!! because I have an African friend he's Erasmus student too, he told me he never pays transportation, when controllers come to him he speaks his language and they let him go all time...

I got caught in USA when I was teenager, I did three days community services plus it stays on record, so I don't play with that no more..

I only know greeting words in Polish, not so many also. He didn't look like he would let me go.

And where does that leave us, law-abiding citizens who faithfully pay for their karta miejska every month?
Looking like fools? If yes, I prefer to look like a fool.

I could easily talk Dutch to a policeman and show him my Belgian ID card...but I prefer not to.

I hope they put a mark behind your name in every possible EU database.

Dude you are not wrong, you are just a jerk...

hmm..
arrived to poland, happily after a week got my warsaw city car, and got into the bus, just few minutes after I paid, but forgot to activate!! they made me pay fine, I understand rules are rules, but com'n if i'm showing a receipt of the card was paid 30 mins ago ..you should understand I'm a foreigner and I had no polish money , I had to get some cash from ATM ...

welcome to Poland :)

That's nothing. Until a few years ago they used to wait on the bus route from the airport and the driver would phone them if likely candidates got on. The only English they knew was "you will be deported" and "fifty" (the going rate for a bribe from a foreigner - for a local it was 10). Thankfully that's now been stopped. Also, in the days before it was electronic, when there was a little clip thingy that you used to punch your ticket on, they'd often say "niewazne" (invalid) if they thought a passenger was foreign.

I once gave a verbal earbashing to one who tried it on, only for him to reply "you don't understand our culture"! Culture indeed....

One thing that most out of towners don't know is that in Warsaw they always, always travel in pairs or threes. If there's one guy on his own, especially at weekends they are almost certainly doing on their day off, topocket bribes. You can call their bluff.

Still, if you don't have a valid ticket, pay up. For me it is simple.
Btw, when I see them on the bus/tram/metro they always work in pairs.Maybe I missed out the third one during all these years?

Speaking of having to pay up...a few years ago on a 15th August on the intersection of Leśmiana and Kasprowicza here in Bielana, I crossed the street when the pedestrian light was red. Absolutely deserted streets, empty dzielnica...Just I did not see the police car approaching. Got fined 100 PLN, which I had to pay by bank transfer within a few days. It was clearly a situation where they were waiting for me. But I thought "stuff them", and did not pay.

But unlike our friend with the invalid ticket, they found me out. One year later I got a nice letter from my bank, that on order of the Urząd Miasta they would have to block my bank account if I did not regulate the fine asap.

So I grudgingly had to pay...in the end...