'Honour' Ticketing Systems

[TravelDream]

I've just come back from a holiday visiting the Czech Republic (Prague, Pilsen and České Budějovice (I Googled the spelling for that one!)) and Hungary (Just Budapest).
We made dozens and dozens of public transport journeys in Prague as well as a fair few in Pilsen. We primarily bought period tickets so always had a valid ticket, but never got it checked even once.

Budapest was a totally different story. Buses are front door boarding and you are supposed to show the driver your tickets - though their interest in checking varied. We also had three random on bus inspections which means probably 15-20% of bus journeys. On the metro, we were checked at least half of the time - usually at the top of escalators exiting, but a few times on entering too.

Both systems use relatively hefty fines as a deterrent, but it's interesting to see two totally different enforcement methods.

I've also used a few more honour systems like those in Poland and Germany, but have never seen enforcement to the level of Budapest. To be fair, everyone I saw had a ticket - though the metro inspections were easy to avoid as you could just go back down the escalator.

Are Czechs really that much more honest than Hungarians, or do the Czech systems just accept a lot less revenue?

 

[peteb]

Just been travelling extensively by train in Denmark. IC trains were quite uniformly subject to ticket checks, and in first class after every stop.

On regional trains except for the line to Skagen from Fredrikshaven we had no ticket checks at all. Neither did we see any sign of guards/conductors, so I suppose some trains might have been o.m.o. but there wasn't much infrastructure evidence to support this.

There were ticket machines at stations and DSB App available, but equally I didn't spot any signs threatening fare-dodgers. Maybe the Danish are all just very honest?

 

[NeakPed]

I’ve spent a day doing some of the Friesland/Groningen branches I’d not done before.
All operated by Arriva. Not one ticket check.
Leeuwarden-Stavoren/Harlingen-Groningen-Winschoten/Veendam

 

[rvdborgt]

I’ve spent a day doing some of the Friesland/Groningen branches I’d not done before.
All operated by Arriva. Not one ticket check.
Leeuwarden-Stavoren/Harlingen-Groningen-Winschoten/Veendam

AFAIK they often have a roaming team checking tickets. You've successfully avoided them.

 

[zero]

Just been travelling extensively by train in Denmark. IC trains were quite uniformly subject to ticket checks, and in first class after every stop.

On regional trains except for the line to Skagen from Fredrikshaven we had no ticket checks at all. Neither did we see any sign of guards/conductors, so I suppose some trains might have been o.m.o. but there wasn't much infrastructure evidence to support this.

There were ticket machines at stations and DSB App available, but equally I didn't spot any signs threatening fare-dodgers. Maybe the Danish are all just very honest?

I got checked in a bus in the middle of nowhere and 2 Danes were caught; on a Lokaltog I also saw a fare evader hiding from revenue inspectors in the toilet.

I can't answer the OP as on my most recent trips to Prague and Budapest I was only checked once in each city over 3 days each.

 

[81A]

In Copenhagen, it seemed like it would be very easy to fare dodge on the metro: no barriers and no visible revenue staff. That said, they may use the random patrols and high fines if caught approach...

 

[jamesontheroad]

In Copenhagen, it seemed like it would be very easy to fare dodge on the metro: no barriers and no visible revenue staff. That said, they may use the random patrols and high fines if caught approach...

Yes, the Copenhagen metro is completely open, but there are patrols. The fine is 1,000 DKK (about €135).

In Sweden, SJ don't disturb passengers to check tickets on high-speed or intercity trains, provided you sit in the reserved seat. In Finland, on VR Intercity trains, they do check tickets unless you have activated them in the app. Then you don't get disturbed.

The exceptions are the handful of government-procured / state-subsidised local trains that VR operate using single car Dm12 railbuses. On these, VR don't care about revenue so don't bother to check tickets.

 

[sheff1]

You can travel for days on various networks in many different countries without having your ticket checked or having to pass through a barrier.

The same in the UK in places.

 

[185143]

In The Netherlands I find NS to be hit and miss. Just like here really.

The Arriva services up Groningen way I've never seen ticket inspections on, but the Arriva services out of Arnhem I've had several.

Don't think I've ever been checked on a TGV, though I don't think I've ever boarded one without going through barriers.

Spain seem perfectly happy to just scan your reservation and couldn't care less if you've got anything else (ie. Interrail) in my admittedly limited experience.

 

[andy33gmail]

I think it's a much better approach - you could save a lot of barriers, reduce congestion, simplify flows etc.

Realistically it works for car parking and tax what's the difference?

 

[Bungle965]

Don't think I've ever been checked on a TGV,

On the contrary to my last trip out of Lille on a TGV, there was 3 Train Managers checking on mine!

 

[zero]

On the contrary to my last trip out of Lille on a TGV, there was 3 Train Managers checking on mine!

Also had two different teams do a check within 10 mins of each other on my last trip out of Paris Est, until someone asked why he was being checked again.

 

[TravelDream]

I think it's a much better approach - you could save a lot of barriers, reduce congestion, simplify flows etc.

Which is one of the issues I saw in Budapest.

They have no ticket barriers on the metro, but at least half of my journeys had a manual check by a human on exiting (usually) or on entering (less often).

This caused queues to back up as the humans were both few in number and checking quite slowly.

 

[rvdborgt]

Spain seem perfectly happy to just scan your reservation and couldn't care less if you've got anything else (ie. Interrail) in my admittedly limited experience.

On several trips to Spain I was checked only once on a train with mandatory reservations: when the guard had a trainee with him, whom he then explained how Interrail and FIP coupons worked.

 

[185143]

On the contrary to my last trip out of Lille on a TGV, there was 3 Train Managers checking on mine!

Tell a lie actually, I've been checked on OuiGo.

 

[The exile]

I think it's a much better approach - you could save a lot of barriers, reduce congestion, simplify flows etc.

Realistically it works for car parking and tax what's the difference?

It would be much easier to introduce if we had a national ID card (and were required to carry id) - as most countries quoted here do. It works for car parking because your car is registered (so effectively has an “ID”) - for tax it works because most people pay most of their tax at source and HMRC have a pretty good eye on a lot of the rest (they might not know how much you earn elsewhere, but except for the cash in hand economy, they know that you do). A fare dodger on the railway could be anyone (just look at the “someone gave my details” threads)

 

[railfan99]

In Bratislava, Slovakia in October 2025, on a newly extended tram route, my ticket was checked twice in 10 minutes by different teams of revenue protection staff.

 

[Whisky Papa]

I've been checked, or seen checks underway on the same vehicle, at least once on most of my 4/5 day visits to Prague. My last visit was an exception; fewer tourists in January, perhaps? As has been discussed elsewhere, checks do seem more likely on routes to the airport, or on trams/metro in the city centre. I don't think I've ever been checked on a bus, other than those to/from the airport.

Whilst the tourist fares may seem quite reasonable to Western eyes, with a 72 hour pass costing 340CZK on the app (about £12), an annual pass costs only between ten and eleven times that at 3650CZK. Even allowing for the disparity in wage levels, are such low fares worth the risk in avoiding?

 

[TravelDream]

Whilst the tourist fares may seem quite reasonable to Western eyes, with a 72 hour pass costing 340CZK on the app (about £12), an annual pass costs only between ten and eleven times that at 3650CZK. Even allowing for the disparity in wage levels, are such low fares worth the risk in avoiding?

True.

£130 for, essentially, all the public transport available in the city (buses, trams, metro, ferries, commuter trains) is exceptional value. Not just by British standards, but by Czech standards too.
The average UK salary is just over double Czechia's so it's the same as an all London annual ticket costing £280 ish.

As I said in my opening post, we were there last week and took all forms of city transport including buses from the airport and plenty of city centre trams/ metro rides. Not once did I get or see a check.

Though the risk of a 1,500/1,000 CZK fine means the annual ticket makes sense.


The equivalent Budapest annual pass is actually pretty expensive at 99.950 HUF (£244) where we had many checks. Even so I didn't see anyone get caught without a ticket.