europe public transport info

[axolotl]

i thought it might be useful to make a kind of database on accessing public transport without paying in different countries/ cities... some countries have excellent train networks, others hardly at all, some trains have no controllers, some will fine you, others will kick you off... some metros have no turnstiles, others you can jump, others you have to know which stations are always or never manned, etc-

if anyone knows of somewhere online where this exists, please tell me, otherwise i´ll start posting about the places i know here

 

[r3353]

London- Turnstiles with guards. We tried sneaking 2 through the slide/swing doors, but they caught us and we had to pay.
Bordeaux- Occasional controllers entering trams and detaining the whole car until everyone is checked. But they seemed more interested in the youngons without tickets than a yankee speaking only english.
Kiev- turnstiles with guards, i wouldnt expect to hop for free. You need to buy plastic tokens for the turnstiles. They will even detain and search people waiting on the platform.
Copenhagen- Excellent Metro system without 'stiles and occasional guards in uniform. Just keep your eyes open and walk out the other door when they get on.

All trains had a controller strolling through sooner or later. It would be hard to avoid for a longer ride. But i did notice that they are mainly checking when you are getting close to or leaving a major city.

 

[Sandbeard]

London- everything is free on the train/under ground, but you have to know how/where to get away with it. I cant remember the last time I paid for a train ticket when i was in London, but then I grew up there. Only tip I can give is that going through 2 at a time is almost flawless late at night and during the rush hour at busy stations, if you cant go through like this, on the overground trains you can usually just walk off a platform at the edge of the station and hop a fence to get out of the station, reverse it to get in.

 

[badinfluence]

It might be worth to add that "Flashers" work well on the london 2 story buses. Old tickets you find on the ground ect. Flash the driver it and just walk walk walk to the back or upstairs of that bus and hope they dont call you back! The bendy buses are more easily hopped. While someone is getting on the front you can just simply walk on the back. They are more prone to ticket inspections however, ive never been caught but know alot of people that have.

 

[axolotl]

Berlin - no turnstiles, controllers get on trains at random and give you a ticket to pay 40 euros within 14 days, after that it goes up, and if you don´t pay it will come up if they ID check you. they might confirm your ID and address. in hundreds of rides it´s only happened to me once though.

Barcelona - turnstiles, many are jumpable, in other stations you can go behind someone. jumping is common enough that there are a fair number of guards watching the entrances, and sometimes ticket checkers in the exits of stations.

Paris - turnstiles, many jumpable, sometimes they check tickets in the station but it´s not that common

Venice - the water buses cost 6€50 each way and the person who anchors at the stop is in theory also the conductor, they don´t ask for tickets every time, but when they did, we just acted confused in english and said we didn´t have any money and they let us off because it seemed unprecedented

Toulouse - high turnstiles on the way in, out, and for transfers, go behind someone

Spain Renfe local trains - ticket checkers sometimes get on (but without a security guard they never check), if you say you don´t have money or documents they usually just kick you off

French regional trains - there is usually a conductor but sometimes you can ride a few stops before they come, if you say you don´t have money or documents you can just get off

French high-speed trains (SNCF) - conductors always walking around, in most cases they will ask for tickets but the interesting thing is that when they are checking they do it in a row in one direction, otherwise when they´re just walking across the train they won´t stop and check. and if they have walked by a few times and you´re sitting calmly, once they´re used to you they might assume you belong there, they pride themselves on never asking the same person twice. when they do ask, if you have ID you can ride to the stop you want with a ticket for a fine that they send to your house but they don´t check the address and even if the address is correct i don´t think anything happens if you don´t pay.

German regional trains: if you don´t have ID they kick you off, if you do, they´ll fine you after checking your address with the police.

Dutch trains: controllers sometimes, they might let you get off, but one time we said we had no documents and they took us to the rail police to identify us

Italian trains: most have controllers that kick you off unless you pay them on the train

Belgium: the metro and trams were no problem, but on a train from Brussels to Antwerp they called the station security, who called the police (I think the police only because my passport was just a photocopy, but in any case they were all extremely nasty and lectured us)

Luxemburg train - we were fined curteously

 

[bob freaky]

In Oslo, Norway they always have control guards on the nsb trains but if you sit travel pass card you probably won't get checked but every once in awhile some on checks then they have step fines so you have to be lucky. The subway is easy to get on free but every once in while they have control guards too and they usually dress in black are in groups at the station and have small bags with credit card scanners and some times you can see their control id hanging from their pants. So when they get on you get off I usally try to sit all the way in front or in back so they can't sneak up on me. If caught speak in English and tell them you thought it was free or some shit. They have heavy fines if caught also but if you have no id I don't know how they would fine you.

 

[Spacegrrl]

well I've always had the super ninja ability to never get asked for a ticket when I'm on public transport, even when I actually bothered to get one, which really bugged me. In the UK, outside of major cities they hardly ever have guards at the stations, and ticket inspectors are totally easy to avoid. In Exeter train station, they sometimes have guys checking tickets as you leave, but they're only there for about 15 minutes after a train pulls in, so you can just hang around and wait for them to leave.

 

[Povey]

London! - i almost always get caught on the under ground cus i have bad luck and look like shit. everyone just holds up old tickets (flashers)on the busses! bendy bussed you get on the back doors.

Berlin- never been caught with flashers on busses here. and ive been in berlin for 10 months and never been caught on trains.

also inter city trains in the uk fuck you over if you dont have a ticket, we got kicked off in some bumfuck town and helled in cells overnight.

 

[stove]

I've only been caught twice- Once in Romania, because I was on a more expensive "express" bus (I had a legit ticket, but not an express) and once in Poland, because there was a huge free concert happening in downtown Warsaw.

The total bribes/fines I have had to pay were about $20, combined. I would have had to pay significantly more to ride all of the public transport that I do.

 

[Cardboard]

Berlin- never been caught with flashers on busses here. and ive been in berlin for 10 months and never been caught on trains.

I was caught twice, in berlin in the last year. I wasnt really there that much either, maybe rode the train 10 times. both times by civil controllers (plain clothes). I guess its just bad luck, but both times gave them a fake address along with my passport, and no problems.