Is Prague Public Transport SCAMMING Tourists?
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- čas přidán 5. 07. 2023
- Prague scams tourists on public transport? It sounds hard to believe, but that is what dozens of tourists complain about on TripAdvisor and Google Reviews. Is it possible? Let's investigate!
Prague Public Transport is rated as one of the best public transport systems in the world. Many Czech people are proud of how cheap and efficient it is. Unfortunately, what often goes unnoticed by locals is the fact that tourists struggle with figuring out which tickets to buy and how to use them correctly. Many tourists simply rely on their instincts and mimic what they see others doing. Regrettably, this often results in them failing to validate their tickets or validating them incorrectly, leading to unpleasant encounters with public transport inspectors. Despite their efforts to do everything correctly and having paid for their tickets, they are compelled to pay fines, leaving them feeling as if they have fallen victim to one of Prague's scams.
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This video explains what mistakes tourists make when using Prague public transport, make sure to watch it before you travel to Prague: czcams.com/video/x-AqpbmKoW0/video.html
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We are visiting Prague from 🇨🇦 currently & ❤Chezia. Cesky Krumlov is 🤗 and thanks for allowing those +65 to travel free on Prague transit however have proof with you. The subways & trams are 👍
This video does not explain anything but the well known fact that you will be fckd if don't have a ticket. Literally zero info about what you should do to avoid there situatinons. What kind of tickets are available, how to validate them on different situations, etc. Watched the video, and found no useful information in it about the topics.
@@tz-pw6uv So you probably don't know English or your understanding is limited, she says several times about the tickets that she will cover them in a separate video and refers to it at the end. But she also repeatedly says that you should always have a ticket and if you comment here, you could also read the comments of others, where many people write about the PID litacka application.
Honest story, Last month I visit Prague for 2 weeks and one of the highlight of my trip was when 3 transport inspector walk up to me and my gf and ask for ticket, I open my bag/take it out and show it to them with correct stamping and a genuine smile! I don't think they ever encounter a more happier passenger! This just to show you youtube and your video can be very useful!
As a british tourist, we find it super simple, installed PID Litacka app and purchased tickets using it, both our adult tickets in one app, cheap and easy to renew. Tram system is epic too, easy to use and covers all over the place.
Yeah, the app was a godsend when they introduced it. Even for those of us who don't live in Prague but have to go there occasionally. I absolutely don't understand why anyone still uses those paper tickets.
The application also includes parking in Prague, so if you come by car, you can pay for parking, even extend it, so you always have information about the validity period.
Yeah that is what I use.
I spent last week in Prague and found the transport system very efficient. I was once checked by the ticket inspector in the bus and he was polite. I also saw you in the Old town.
Same. We were checked once and the 2 man were very nice
People just don’t want to be accountable for their own actions anymore. Everything is always everyone else’s fault. I have worked in the tourism industry all my life and this kind of attitude will probably drive me out of it one day. Everywhere I go in the world I always research the local public transport system thoroughly. And yes, as a Prague citizen I get checked at least once a week so I wouldn’t say the ticket inspectors only prey on tourists. And yes, I have been fined when my annual pass was one week expired. Did I yell and argue with the inspectors? No, I paid my fine calmly thinking what an idiot I was.
Unlike my city, and many, many others, your city, Prague, is a cesspool of scams and corruption. You just don't see it.
The issue as I see it as tourist is this, most country use a system that once you get a ticket or card, you scan it everytime you go thru the gate or get on a bus, no hassle and no mistake(it will take a bit longer then walk right thru) Prague system lead easily to scan/stamp you ticket more then one time specially if you have a multi day pass! and that will cancel your ticket and the holder won't even recognize it! End of story
@@mracer8 It's a stamp system. In absolutely no paper ticker system do you put a stamp over the same spot, anywhere. Of course not, you are ruining the print.
This is a trick used on a mass scale by people who don't want to pay: get a ticket, smudge the stamp, use it until you are caught and act all surprised. It's a city transit system, not a tourist attraction; read a bit through the ticketing rules and you figure out that it ain't hard. It's also one of the least expensive public transit systems out there; 12 euros for a three day pass is basically nothing for most tourists.
Worldwide there's basically two different types of payment for public transport: gated / always-stamp and proof of payment. Prague is proof of payment, which means: you can do whatever you want and get on board, but it's your responsibility to have a valid ticket.
There's one thing I think they could do to make it easier, and that's to sell pre-validated tickets for the dayticket: if you tell the machine that you want a dayticket, it could say: give prevalidated, and give unvalidated. They could also put up some signs saying "validate your ticket only once". That being said, I wouldn't be surprised if at any of the big tourist transit entering spots (train station, airport etc.) they have brochures with the precise conditions. If people then think: I know how things work in my country, so I'm just gonna guess and see what happens, that's then very much on them.
WHAT!?!?!? Prague's transport system is one of the easiest/best I have ever seen! If people are getting tickets they are either really stupid or are trying to scam a free ride... My first trip to Prague didn't have a clue about how the transport system worked... within a couple minutes I had bought a ticket, validated it, and was on my way.
Transport is literally a right on public services so the word "scam" is liek you saying someone is scamming for free water after shoplifitng water from the shop lol
I can confidently say that Prague has the easiest, and most fluid on boarding process of any other public transportation system I've been on. Please do not change it. Other cities where you have to board the tram or bus from the front and scan your ticket make the tram or bus move at half-speed. I'm so glad it's done with personal accountability here. It's also not all tourists, it's a select number who have probably needed their hand held through life. Also, the convenience of only needing one ticket for everything is great, Amsterdam was a nightmare with all of the companies operating the transport there.
Yeah Amsterdam and their comic system. The turnstiles in the tram and the service desk in the tram shocked me, you only get on through one door, but then you have to get off through another. That's not the case in Prague.
And of course the taxis are honest.... The currency change both are honest.... NOT!
@@mari.be.86Ikr? I was so suprised that they had a freaking office in a tram!
I used the app on my phone, and found it to be extremely easy. In one week of traveling on the metro system, I was only approached one time by a ticket inspector. I had watched a video previously that show how the inspector would present a badge, so I was prepared.
One important thing to remember about using the phone app. If you buy the online tickets ahead of time, don't forget to tell the app when to activate the ticket. If you choose the option to activate at the time of purchase, understand there is about a 2 or 3 minute delay before the ticket becomes active. But, you do receive notification from the app when your current ticket is approaching the end of its life, and you have time to purchase a new ticket and have it activated before an inspector arrives.
What app do you use?
@@martinanemcova5088 The app to which she referred in the video, pid litacka
Regardless of tourists, Inspectors getting a "cut" of any tickets they write is a poor concept that can lead to abuse.
Great info RPGs!!! People need to realize that every country has their own systems. It is the travelers responsibilities to learn the local laws before they travel. BUT!!! Great people like RPG's can help.
The people complaining are on TA. I used to post a lot on there, but got so tired of people complaining countries they visited aren't exactly how things are where they live, I got fed up and quit posting. I remember a post about someone complaining they couldn't get good beer in Prague because they couldn't find Corona...
Oproti londýnského/ pařížského metra je pražské velmi jednoduché a nechápu některý turisty že se v pražském metru ztratí.🙈
neasi
I'm sorry, maybe I'm being rude.. But how on earth do you survive life in general if you're not even capable of understanding the public transport in Prague???? Prague literally has the easiest system I have ever seen. Everything is super clear. And Even if you think it's not clear, before you go somewhere you're doing research on where you're going, right? There so much information to find that it is almost impossible to fail. I just really don't get how people will not get this.. I really don't.
There is a fundamental problem with giving ticket checkers a cut of the fine. They can easily become overly agresdive.
They are city employees. They don’t get a % of fines they bring in. That’s like saying police get part of a parking ticket fine. They don’t…
@stevemcgowen if the have minimum quotas as part of their job duties, then it's implied.
@@stevemcgowen She clearly said in the video that they get a cut of the fine.
@@markbass7145 They usually have basic pay and bonuses if they catch someone. The details are different from town to town.
I think part of the issue might be the 'on the spot' fine system. Many people are told before going to Prague to be careful of scams especially anyone on the street or on public transport, having someone say "you haven't validated your ticket, pay me now" is a bit of a red flag.
In saying that, I was recently in Prague for the first time, and I can see how you could get it wrong. Some countries (like the US, in my experience) don't tend to have big public transport systems outside of the major tourist cities, even then, many of them have barriers like London etc. If you come from somewhere that doesn't have trams, its easy not to think about find a machine to validate your ticket
It the people don't pay on the spot, they probably never will, as the Czech debt collectors likely don't have means to catch them outside the Czech Republic. You'll probably agree that's something Prague transport can't afford...
Well maybe ... but this scam is not a thing here.
@@KarlosTheMighty
It's not a scam. Don't call a thing a scam that's not a scam. If you google 'Prague public transport conditions', you get a site that explains it all, in English! I'm decently sure there's even English text on the ticket itself.
We are Swiss and were back in Prague 2 days ago. The transport system is great and if you cheat, you have to reckon with unpleasant consequences. Nowhere does ignorance protect against punishment.
Greetings from Berlin. I loved the transport system of the city when I visited Prague this May - it felt very familiar, if not even more easy to use (plus cleaner on top) . P.S.: I had two guided tours with you, Real Prague Guides, and both were fantastic. Thank you a lot for your work! 👍👌❤
Have a ticket at your hand, have it stamped by the yellow machine, follow the time. Simple. Works in Prague and Plzeň. And then there is Brno and Ostrava…there you just act as in London, tap your card whenever you get on board of a vehicle….
..and in Germany, and in Poland, and in Slovakia, and In Austria, and In Hungary.....
I'm getting checked every other day lol I've lived in Prague for almost 4 years and never had any problem with inspectors, maybe because I made sure first to learn how the public transport works and what I should do.
We were in Prague yesterday and the public transport was very nice. Idk why they are saying this tbh. You can buy a ticket everywhere. Online or in the train/tram/bus. You can't do that in Germany 😅
You can’t actually purchase onboard Metro trains. They know that since it is the exact opposite of Trams and Buses…where riders typically pay when they get on at payment terminals.
It is actually not uncommon for people to flash “Inspector” badges, that are scammers…I personally think that some real Inspectors also use their badges to generate a side income. If the “Inspector” doesn’t issue you a ticket OR a payment receipt - they are usually pocketing the “fines”.
@@ChicagoDB if I have a ticket I don't need to see the badge. We just showed it and it was done. And yeah in tram there is a machine to buy tickets just not in the train I think. You need a ticket before entering the whole area
If they put their hands on you when you aren’t looking to run away, then they can’t complain if a martial arts guy drops them. The validation instructions are also so vague that other than your guide, locals giving CZcams guides give the same vague info. Like “remember to validate when you board” not “only ever once per ticket even a 3 day pass should be validated once.”. Glad I research before I go on Tuesday lol
If any turists are complaining on Prague's public transport system then their iQ must be very low to understand such a simple thing like validating a ticket
Great Valérie as always. Good job. You explained it very nicely. 👌💯💯
Thank you! I’m travelling to Prague later this year. I found this video very helpful.
Finally. We thought you had disappeared! Lovely vid as always. We move to to Cz on Monday from the UK. Have been watching your stuff for ages and would love to catch you for a beer.
One of the reasons I like your videos is because of the humor. That was present here. However, this video included some information that could potentially save people from injury. Great job!
If you go by train, you also must have a ticket, altough conductor is in the other place...so is logic, that you must have valid ticket
only "scam"- but it is in order is that students with long-term ticket have a discount and with short-term do not have a discount
What if people actually looked up a country before going there? Lack of knowledge of the transport policy doesn't make you immune to it. Also not having some shitty gates at the metro is something i love, I'm in a constant hurry so if i had some dumb gate and wait for it to open I'd come late all the time.
Thank you for video, I'm going to Prague for the first time, next month, your advice is brilliant.
I was in Prague, and my trip went well because i always watched your videos
Exactly! The only people that get in trouble are the people that go totally unprepared. Not the people like us :D
Never had an issue, but then this buy-and-validate system is used all over central Europe, so if you've travelled a lot there I guess you learn it early.
The PID system is built on trust and reliability, the checks are regular and even though I have an annual pass on my card and an application that warns me before it expires, the inspectors check me sometimes even 3 times a week. I even experienced them at the very edge of the city at the penultimate stop, I was surprised, but they were there and tourists don't go there.
So it's not about scamming tourists, but about tourists who cheat, who try to cheat the system.
Because nothing is free and if it is, then only for people who pay taxes, not for foreigners, nothing is free for foreigners in any country!
Of course inspectors who behave rude are very wrong, but let's be clear tourists who think that the public transport is free or because there is no clear control they can just skip buying a ticket are at fault as well....
Well , the public transport is NOT for free. If you didn’t pay for it and then you get the inspectors on your face and then try to run away, then that’s your fault and yours only. Be a responsible tourist. Inform yourself before traveling. It will save you from this kind of situations and will make your overall experience better!
Most probably I am genius, but:
1) when i go to some foreign city and want to use public transport, i make sure I check how it works begore i go
2) when something seem to be “free”, I double check as my experience tells me that typically nothing is free therefore there probably is something I missed
3) I sort of expect that in other countries things might work differently than at home
4) I sort of understand that in a city where 1.3 million people, live, not everything revolves around tourists
…..
Now….. how do you get nominated for a Nobel Prize?
When u are tourist and show your monthy pass to inspectors their face is epic. The photo ID is some 60Czk and the monthly pass is 550Czk (just bring a photo and tell the ticket officer you need untransferrable monthly pass, the transferrable costs 1000Czk) . Btw Prague public transport is one of the best in the world, our daily record was 47 km by trams with monthy pass
Some tourists are just dumb and expect to get away with it, I saw a guy validating his already validated ticket not too long ago, I tried to stop him and explain but he just waved me off and proceed. Well you do you bro.
If I get a 72 hour ticket, I only need to validate it once at the beginning and not everytime I use the subway / tram right? ...
Right. If you would validated it more than once, it will became no valid.
@@xsc1000 Thank you!
Thank you for the informative vidoe, how do I validate the pid litacka app? do I just show it when asked?
You buy the ticket within the app and then activate it before using the transport. Just make sure the ticket is active on the app. Don’t get on the tram or metro unless it’s active.
I acknowledge that the English instructions on tickets or around the machines are extremely confusing. There’s definitely room for improvement on the authorities’ side. However, I can’t believe people always complain about Prague specifically and not the honor system of ticket usage in general as it’s used in the vast majority of cities in this part of the world: all of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Slovakia, Hungary or many places in Poland. This is a legitimate system of ticketing and has many advantages of it. Calling it something Prague-specific is extremely unfair from the tourists.
Can I ride all Prague trams, buses and Metros (run by the DPP) all the way to the final stop if I have the usual day ticket or three day ticket that you get at ticket machines? Or do I have to pay for a new "zone" in some cases? I can't find any information on this on the internet and I get different answers from locals.
All metro stations and city buses and trams are in zone covered by these tickets. 'External zones' are outside PRG city limits. Basically the 'external zones' are for commuters from areas outside PRG- separate bus system, plus trains.
PID Zones: the dark green one is 'PRG Zone 0', covers all the city. Zones 1-12 are outside PRG city limits- up to 60km outside PRG
One question: does all types of tickets activate automatically and immediately, or can you choose a moment when to do it? I know many apps in several countries where you can chose it at the time of purchase, or whenever you need it.
The two times I’ve been never had a problem, as you say some tourists think they should get sympathy. Great video👍
We visited last year. Was told to purchase tickets on the tram. Got on and inadvertently went to the validating machine (we had no idea about the actual ticket machine which was located at the other end of the tram) so assumed we could just pay a conductor /inspector. Not a chance. 3 stops later 2 very aggressive guys (almost at threatening level) starting on us and insisted we got off. Threatened us with the police station, wanted passports etc (which were in the hotel safe of course) and eventually gave us a fine of £40 each to stand and pay their and then (day one within 3 hours of landing) Shocking and very humiliating experience, no need to treat anyone never mind a tourist like that. Lovely place but would never return now.
I found it super simple and you can buy a day pass for all transport for 120 Kč at kiosks
There are machines for buying a single ticket in buses and trams, you pay by card and it prints you the ticket, which is another way to buy tickets.
I’d also say that the lítačka is for time coupons (for months/year) so you don’t tap it anywhere, you just must have it when inspector wants it.
The application also has a ticket for a child, a senior citizen, an adult for 30 minutes, 90 minutes, 24 hours, 72 hours, for luggage and even for an animal. So if you have a cat in a box, you can take it as luggage and a dog on a leash as a pet. In the application, you can also buy tickets for wheelchair users and even outside of Prague, a ticket for a bike.
I don't think it can be any easier nowadays. And it works like that almost everywhere I went in Europe. Those getting fines are getting them rightfuly and are just salty about it.
Tourists obviously need to learn how the local system works.
But the system shouldn’t be confusing, designed to trap people, or be enforced by intimidating staff who are incentivised to fine and punish people.
Familiar ticketing systems and some clear multi-language signs would do the trick eg “Validated tickets required prior to boarding. Penalty: €1,000,000”.
It would also be good that people, when they get caught without a valid ticket, just pay up when they caught because they forgot to prepare or tried to cheat.
@@didadida5504 Im sure some do. Others probably just make an honest mistake when dealing with an unfamiliar system in a foreign country that is dissimilar to most other public transport systems.
And to be honest, if I hadn’t seen this video and a bunch of large guys came to ‘check my ticket’ and intimidate me into paying an on-the-spot fine I would 100% assume it is a scam (anywhere in the world) and look for my best way to run the hell away.
The Prague Transport Office is literally in the center of the city.
All they need is a possibility to pay by debit card with daily cap. We are having it here in Prievidza (a big hole in Slovakia) so it should be obvious in Prag.
eee? you can tap the onboard machine and get you ticket in most of the trams and buses. Your can even usualy pay the fine with debit card too.
@@interhome6720 In Prag? Cool! But the key here is "in most". It needs to be all, also properly marked/explained to public/tourist, otherwise it's still too complicated.
in my 5 visits to Prague only once did the controller ask me for a ticket. It was valid, of course, and I was quite proud of myself because the local woman didn't have one and tried all kinds of ways to get out of the situation, but it didn't work but the controller behaved ok towards her.
Is it true that it is free for seniors over 65?
7:27 be aware. the honest guide made a video about that too if I am not mistaken. They said that tourists were fined who tried to buy it in the tram but could not get to the machine as it was completely full. the inspectors saw that but fined the anyway
That is what I thought too. The inspectors are incentivized to give tickets - so who's to say you will have the chance to buy a ticket on a tram. The app seems the way to go - although someone above mentioned a time delay for validation (oy) - or the old fashioned ticket machines at the stations. Buying tickets in a kiosk or tobacco shop is so...last century. Now what this video has me nervous about is validating the ticket correctly? Can you validate it incorrectly? I bought tickets and validated all the time in Vienna without a second thought but then Vienna doesn't have interesting inspectors like in Prague. And it appears Prague metro does not have touristic day passes - which make everyone's life easier?
@@richardlo4867 Probably best you don't go to Prague...
The Public transportation in Czech republic runs on HONOR system. The system trusts your honor, that you will buy your ticket, but also irregularly checks if you really do.
In case of catching you without or with unvalidated/false/multiple times validated ticket, the Inspectors have right to fine you, or if you don't want to, to detain you until the Police arrives and identifies you for purpose of fining you.
If you pay fine in place, you get a ticket about paying it and generally you are allowed to finish your travel without further interruption.
And yes, it is true, that delayed fine is more costly (often doubled).
Also, always pay the fine, otherwise it will go through lawyer's office to the court and then often sold to executor/repossession office. The final amount to pay in such cases is huge (sometimes even more than 10x of original fine).
Is the metro ticket the same as the bus ticket or do I have to buy another one and validate it? It is not clear
Prague transport is super simple and fantastic! Im here from Sydney Australia. I didn’t read up on it before arriving. I walked up to a yellow box, pressed the ‘English’ button and the rest was easy. Only thing I got wrong was I didn’t buy a ticket for my suitcase. Lucky no inspectors on that trip!
I've had a couple interesting run-ins with public transport controllers in Prague where, technically speaking, I did not have a validated ticket but there was perhaps some gray area that could warrant some leniency in my favor. One time it didn't work out so well for me, but the other time it actually did.
The first occasion happened while I was waiting for a night tram by Wenceslas Square. This was a few years ago before ticket machines were installed in all trams and buses, and there wasn't a ticket machine in sight. So I purchased an e-ticket with the Litačka app.
Now, the app is very convenient and I use it often, however if you're going to be using it for the first time just be aware that there's a 2-minute window from the time you validate the e-ticket to the time it is ACTUALLY validated and can be scanned by a controller. I suppose this is to prevent commuters from buying tickets on their phone at the last second should they spot controllers checking people.
This particular night I bought and validated my ticket on before my tram arrived. I boarded, took a seat, and the moment the tram left the stop a controller asked for my ticket. By the time I opened the app my ticket had about 35 seconds and counting till official validity. He looked at it, and said "Passport". I politely tried (in vain) to explain that I purchased and validated the ticket on my phone before the tram arrived, but he wasn't having any of it.
He was a total prick despite my attempts to be cordial, but I wouldn't at all call it "harassment". So I just paid the fine, took it as a lesson learned, and that was that.
The following time I was trying to purchase a ticket at an outside machine by my local tram stop. I scanned my card to pay and was charged, but before the bastard of a machine printed my ticket, an error message came on the screen saying my ticket could not be printed.
I know it's only 30czk but the principle of not getting something I paid for irked me a bit. And I thought to myself, "It's 10pm, I'm not even in the center. The odds are so low that I'll get checked anyway". But to cover myself, I happened to take a pic of the error message on the screen of the ticket machine, and a screenshot of the notification from my bank.
And I'm sure glad I did, cause it's pretty obvious where the story goes from here.
Mid-ride a couple of plain-clothes controllers boarded the tram, and when asked for my ticket I calmly told him my tragic tale of how the machine malfunctioned before printing the ticket which I had paid for. I even showed him the timestamps to prove it occurred 10 or 15 minute ago and not 10 years ago.
And, despite hesitating for a split second, he said, "ahhhh ok, no problem. Don't worry about it", and went about his business cracking half a smile.
The other hundred or even thousands of times I've ridden Prague's public transport I've never had any issues with these guys. Just have a validated ticket/litačka pass and you'll be fine.
If you're naive enough to think you can ride in a city's public transport system for free then you should probably have some day-to-day caretaker looking after you at all times. Maybe even on a leash wearing a helmet.
Hey, Can someone suggest few shopping places in praag. Where students can shop?
Imagine thinking you don't need a ticket then crying about someone scamming you LOL
Thank you Valery. I enjoy watching your videos. My wife and I are visiting Prague in October 2024. As I am 66 do I need a ticket for public transport or is this only for Czech citizens. My wife is 65 so we will by a ticket for her. Cheers, Pete from Australia
I loved Prague and would love to come back. I would also recommend it to people, but stuff like this detracts and likely loses more money that it takes in.
If enforcement of laws is a deterrent, maybe it's best those people don't come to Prague...
Couldn't agree more!!! Just another Gov gimmick for $$$!👌
@@redstone51 Requiring people to have valid tickets is a scam? What world do you live in where metro systems cost nothing to build and operate, where everyone can just ride for free, then cry ignorance when caught?
@@stevemcgowen They incentivize enforcement agents to fine people by giving them a cut of the take. That disincentivizes them using discretion to warn or help the simply ignorant while punishing those who truly are truly breaking the law with nefarious intent. This leads to profiling of tourists who will unlikely return and will tell others not to go to Prague. It’s a crap system. Get a turnstyle. You’ll save money on these goons and increase tourism. Can you imagine if traffic cops got a cut of every ticket they wrote? OMG, tickets would go through the roof.
@@stevemcgowen Rewatch the video. This is not legit law enforcement. It’s a speed trap. They intentionally have a system that is confusing, then profile tourists, and finally incentivize a bunch of goons to levy fines by giving them a cut of the fine. It’s just another organized crime scam in a town full of such scams and the sooner it’s cleaned up the better for all involved. The current system may benefit a few corrupt politicians, organized criminals, and the enforcement goons, but it hurts tourism as a whole.
Having to be sneaky... something already wrong when you have to send thugs to be sneaky. They specifically target tourists for thier cut and no warnings or compassion. You could easily just have inspectors invalidate a ticket and fine repeat offenders. It is such a bad impression. It really does make you feel like you don't want to come back because it ruins the trip to be so humiliated, never mind that it's expensive. Not all of your visitors come from places that have public transport and don't that do, you by a ticket for a route and use it and that's that. Check your privilege and build a system that doesn't require threats from scary men..
The video you need to watch before going to Prague
If you like to take a photo of the most beautiful metro stop Staroměstská you have to buy the tickets too. Inspektors are there very often under the stairs :)
IDK if this is because i am a public transportation enthusiast but, for me when i went to Prague, i checked before travelling how the system and tariffs function... and i did this in every country or city that i went... that's just normal. (and it's actually damn simple, compared to cities like Paris that are complex even for french)
I used a mobile 2-day ticket for my trip in Prague, i was just confused at the beginning how did it work from a validation standpoint (if i needed to scan it on some special machine) and... i just asked to someone at the ticket office... that's just simple (and god knows how i suck at social interactions), i do think that some tourists (who are usually the people with the most disposable income to use Prague transit system) just want to make the economy of tickets on a really cheap network😊, that's just disrespectful (and i usually tend to defend people that don't pay public transit when they are poor and i mostly defend free public transit at least for inhabitants)
Also, quick tip: plain clothes ticket inspectors on surface travel seems to be quite a common thing nowadays in europe, i encounter them especially in paris buses and suburb trams, they even sometimes fake conversations between them until the doors of the bus/tram are closed, after that they put out the "RATP contrôle" high visibility band and start checking all tickets.
Having classic paper time tickets is the simplest system of all time and it's totaly logical that you need to mark your ticket when it's time ticket. I don't understand how can some people not understand this, it can't be simplier. Try some other public transport systems with their electronic tickets and barriers. Traveling in these countries is always stress for me, while here and in surrounding countries (Germany, Czechia, Poland...) we have pretty much everywhere this classic system where you can buy paper time ticket and there are no barriers and that's what I like, you just mark your 24hours ticket and then just riding with no stress, you don't have to care about anything. When I've been to Portugal, I wanted to kick thru those barriers, I had milions of those stupid e-tickets and I didn't know what is loaded on that, so I started carrying permanent marker and I always wrote it there like an idiot. I know you can load it again and check what's loaded thru ticket machine, but there is always only few machines with long waiting lines and as a Czech, I just deny to wait in some lines, that's communism for me, we don't wait in lines anymore. You just buy your tickets to stock or buy it in app or you have month/year pass and you don't care about anything, you are just traveling. 😀
If some government will want to install some barriers or system where you have to constantly beep with your card all the time when you enter new vehicle (like in some other countries) I will go vote for party which is against that, this is really important for us and people who don't like it are mostly car-zombies who don't know how to open door in train.
But yes, there should be more informations in English and precise way how to use tickets. I understand how confusing it can be because when I visited Riga and I tried to switch machine to English, it was saying error 404 everywhere, so we were totaly lost and we were just watching other people so we realized that they mark e-ticket all the time when they enter new vehicle, I still don't know if it's mandatory or not, so if tourists are confused by simple paper tickets in Prague, what would they do in Riga and such cities where there are no informations in English at all? 😀
BTW, the same system which works in Prague (and in other bigger cities) is planned even for rural buses, we still have that stupid system where everyone waits in line to buy ticket from a driver, which is really stupid and again, it reminds me communism or something, sometimes bus is leaving 15 minutes late just because of line of people, so I think since 2024, it's gonna be the same as in Prague, you will buy ticket before you go to bus and you will be able to finally enter thru all doors, I can't wait for that!!!! That's the main reason why I always prefer train and I totaly hate these village buses.
@@Pidalin None of my Czech friends buy paper tickets They just have a monthly pass on the app...
The main problem is that the tourists often insert the ticket backwards, or upside down, having the date/time stamped in the wrong place, or "validate" it more than once, thereby rendering the ticket invalid and useless.
@@gruncletim There's literally a huge arrow on the ticket showing how to insert it...
@@stevemcgowen Yes I am aware of the huge arrow, but that obviously doesn't stop people from doing it incorrectly. Hence the large number of tourists getting fined.
A question about the app: Can i activate (not buy) the ticket without the internet? Can I change between bus/metro etc during the validity of the ticket?
Tourists that complain are just ignorant and don't actually study the public transport system atleast a little bit
We were inspected on the metro last week and he was a perfect gentleman.
Said please and thank you and everything.
The only thing I would say for a large tourist city where English (often spoken as a foreign language by non native English speakers) is widely used is to have clear and widespread notices about how to make sure your ticket is valid.
Oh yes! There was a scandal here in Budapest. A passenger boxed with the inspector and the inspector was the winner. The court ruled that the inspector was guilty of beating the passenger. Inspectors avoid such situations very much, they don't get involved in fights.
Frankly, it is the tourist problem. When I travel, either to another town in CZ, or abroad, I always ensure I know how I can pay for the public transport and how to validate the ticket! And generally luckily I only met nice inspectors here in Prague. Polite, but I guess fights happen! I get people are told beware of scams, but then I guess if you call the police, you would at least know its genuine and not scam? But I guess its easier to play I did not know anything. oh and if you want confusing in this country? I highly recommend my home town of Hradec Kralove! Paying for a ticket on the bus with a card? ERHM NOPE. Not yet, not working yet! It is paper ticket, which is only sold at limited places, or good old SMS, YEP!, or at the driver using cash, or if you are local, you use a card, which can either be a pay as you go or used for time coupons. Since I have family there, I just use the last option, pay as you go. Oooh and after 7pm, you must use front door, no other door will open to get you on, only off and if people wait in front of them, the driver wll not open them to let you out, until people move to the front door, exceptis baby buggy, when the mom then has to walk to the front and validate ticket there.
Can someone confirm whether or not on the Prague transit system You have to buy a ticket for a large suitcase!? And if so, can this be done online as well? What is the definition of a large suitcase?
Yes, you have to buy ticket for large suitcase. You can buy it online. Large suitcase is anything bigger than 25 × 45 × 70 cm
Thank you
I was at the Stepanska stop and met two transport (female) ticket inspectors and two Chinese students that they had fined because hadn't activated their tickets. The inspectors spoke little or no English. The Chinese girls were crying. I was the one who had to explain to the Chinese girls that they were in the wrong and they were lucky that the police weren't called as they didn't have their passports and that is actually a crime that you can be fined more for (you wouldn't know that unless you're black - I'm not - I've never been asked for my passport - yep it's racist). Although I felt compassion for their ignorance, I've been here 17 years - the instructions are very clear. They've always been very clear. This is the easiest system I've ever used. So it was either very good acting or complete stupidity.
if you commit a 'crime' and the police 'investigates', they will ALLWAYS ask dor your I to process the 'case' as they have to record it. (I mean if you are unwilling to pay the fine). Are you saying that you were in such situation and not pay the fine and they did not ask for your ID?
I’m a visitor from the U.S. and was accosted by one of these guys. He presented his badge like a weapon and pushed me against the glass of the train. I had no idea who he was. My first instinct wasn’t to present my ticked when I though I was getting mugged or worse. This left a bad taste in my mouth for the remainder of my trip. Also, the people in Prague are rude and off putting generally. It’s a beautiful city but I won’t be coming back.
Just one thing: when you buy a ticket in the app it is NOT already validated, you have to do it manually by pressing the Activate (or sth like that) button and then it will be validated in 2 minutes. It is done so so that you can buy several tickets at the time and also so that you do not activate the ticket when you see the inspectors in the public transport.
Other than that, great video guys! I don't think Prague transport is a scam, it's a great system and come on, it's built on trust! Isn't that cool? Just check the rules before coming to the country or ask people at info stations or around you.
We are visiting in September, the app doesn't have the best reviews. How do we go about the 2nd method ?
The app workshop great, I’ve been using it for years and never had any issue..
@@the_curious_one Thank you, we will try it out
The app works smoothly. Very convenient.
You mentioned that buying tickets online provides pre validated tickets, does it mean we dont have to validate it each time we travel ?
You buy it online and activate it in the app and that’s it.
The tickets are for certain amount of time (Minutes, days or months), so you need to activate/validate it in the app 2 minutes before entering.
So you can purchase it in advance on the app, but it's not enough.
It was horrible for me. After landing I purchased a ticket for the bus and I was completely unaware about validating the ticket. Two officers in plain clothes entered and asked for the tickets and told me I have not validated, I told I am completely new to this system and I am tourist staying for 3 days. I asked them show how to do it and leave me with a warning, but nothing happened, they stopped the bus asked me to get down, both of them started yelling at me to pay the fine of 1000. I denied it, I am unaware of it and after purchasing the ticket not everyone keeps reading the terms behind the tickets. You need to leave on the benefit of the doubt or understand the situation or else I want to speak to police officer so that I can request them on this situation because you guys are acting like hooligans. They told the police will arrive in one hour, I told I am ready to wait for even 2 hours and this was happening in deserted road. They asked for my passport, I dint give. I told them I will show it to the police when they arrive, They went blackmailing and abusing me for the next 15 mnts. I kept silent and was looking forward for the cops. In the end they cursed me bad and left the scene. I had to walk atleast 2 kms with all my luggage to find the next tram or bus in a deserted road. This happened as soon as I landed in Prague for the first time in my life.
They should be someone to help inside these buses or trams to help the tourists to validate , because not everyone will be aware of it, especially the tourists, You can’t fine and act like rowdies, blackmail, threaten, hooliganism to a tourists, you need to show the correct way to do it and educate them. Even we want to follow all the rules of every country but it fails sometimes just because we are ignorant and innocent. So I request please stop this and bring in new reforms,
By the way Prague is beautiful city and my favourite
city. Love to Prague from Bengaluru.
The same thing happened to my wife and I. We paid for 3 day pass for each and boarded the bus at the airport & validated the tickets. The issue was when we validated , i wasn’t sure machine worked so i inserted a 2nd time and apparently printed over the 1st time. As soon as we got off the bus & entered the subway , 2 guys approached us, asked for the tickets and said its not validated correctly. Had us get off the next stop at the very end of the platform & nobody around & took our passports .Were told to pay the hefty fine or will be brought to police.
We paid the fine & treated it as entrance fees to the Prague theme park 😊. I certainly do not agree by this poster saying it’s the tourists fault for being unfamiliar with their validating system. They can say whatever they want, many tourists who have been victimized know its a cash cow for continuing this practice. Why not actually sell a visitors 3 day pass that victims actually paid for.
I visit Prague almost twice or thrice a year and always purchase a day ticket, validate it and travel around. Thats the best way to explore Prague. Its a beautifull city. Tourists are always themselves to blame, assuming that traveling is free.
As so often both sides are to blame. The transport authority of a cosmopolitan city should know that other cities do it differently, allow for genuine mistakes of tourists and instruct inspectors accordingly (and make sure that they don't lose out financially when helping a tourist) - however it has never been easier for people to inform themselves beforehand - "when in Rome etc." so no tourist should get into trouble in the first place. A big pitfall is for instance for Belgian tourists as in Belgium you have to validate your ticket every time you board a bus or tram (that goes back to at least 1995 when I made the opposite mistake in Brussels). Astonishingly at that time that even worked (they are now phased out) with ink tickets, the machine somehow always "knew" where to print the new stamp so that everything stayed readable. I can understand why double validation occurs in such cases. Another pitfall is luggage tickets, which for instance are unknown in Germany (unless you try to move your entire household by bus). I'd recommend to the Prague tourist board to make the calculation whether a few crowns extra (especially in case of genuine mistakes like double validation which didn't even lose the TA any money) is worth the bad publicity, because there are other cities with a similar flair and much more polite ticket inspectors (Kraków comes to mind immediately).
I went to Prague a couple month ago and in the beginning was a little confuse the public transportation for people that are used to have turnstile in their city. But with a little information like in this video you realice that is very easy to use in the end.
Prague ticket inspectors seem to be quite tough. I remember somer years ago I was in Belgrade and I bought a day pass. I did not validate it correctly in a bus, and then I was caught by ticket inspectors.
But they were so nice to explain to me how to validate correctly, and they did not fine me at all. That is nice way to handle these situations.
I don't like them much. On the other hand with self responsibiity, high speed boarding system like this, you must be tough. otherwise most of the city would use it as freeloaders. Those who fight are most of the times drunkards, are high, or are simply just Karens (for those there is no hope). It's quite hard to get someone to pay a fine afterwards if he is not local. So on spot fine is cheaper than paid after. And they can used to suck you dry if you don't pay at all after few years if they are able to legaly reach you
it is a trade off…. if you have “honesty system” like in PRG thansport system, then you need strict system to enforce/check who is “honest” and this way enforce this “honesty”…. otherwise the system would financially collapse under the weight of dishonest people who choose not to pay.
As far as I understand, the “problem “ with the ticket inspectors occur onlt when somebody wants to run away from them…. and again, if it was so easy as to run away, then “honesty system” would collapse soon.
As for the idea that the ticket inspectors should let people who made “honest mistake” go (like not validating tickets as pervrequirements)….. again, its about balancing “free to enter”/“honesty” system with strict enforcement of the rules….. I personally do not have problem with people having to pay for not doung their homework
@@letecmig In my case it was that I know I had to hold my ticket to a machine inside the bus. I did it, but it did not work properly, may be I was too fast to do it
But I was convinced I did it correctly. I only have to thank the nice inspectors again!
@@hassanalihusseini1717 in PRG you clearly see that the machine printed time of validation on your ticket….. not something anybody could not see themselves…. not sure what else to say. PRG public transport system is one of the easiest to use if you just check 3 minutes “how to” video on youtube ….. if somebody is not willing to do the most minimal research effort when using public tranaport system un new city…. then he/she shoul simply pay the fine instead of complaining that the rules are enforced “with cold heart”
@@letecmig Yes, but in Belgrade it was a kind of electronic validation. You hold your ticket against a machine in a bus (I did), and then it is validated somehow. No physical printing. That I got wrong.
It would be helpful if pasted on those ticket machines the bold :NOTE: Tickets need to be VALIDATED BEFORE BOARDING" showing how to insert the ticket with "Note: Invalidated tickets will incur stiff penalty."
We went on a school trip in Prague once, we had tickets. But a classmate had the most funny interaction with the inspectors.
He was showing his funny metal badge to a classmate and said something in Czech. He thought he was trying to sell him something.
I think in most cases it is the fault of tourists getting fined, but ticket inspectors should generally not grab someone or otherwise get physical with them.
Also, ticket inspectors getting commission on fines is problematic as it encourages extortion of fines when it is not just (for example, the person who could not get to the machine quickly since the tram was packed).
We used the App when we were there last month and it was great... and a great deal for the monthly pass. Though, I do think that Prague should have some sort of guidelines and consequences for ticket checkers who get out of hand; I think its completely inappropriate that a ticket checker would grab onto a woman's purse or grab them at all... that seems like police work.
There is a similar scam run by Police with tourists in Rome. They wait at the airport for departing tourists who have, in good faith, bought public transport tickets but don't understand how to properly validate them. The logic is inescapable - Who buys a valid ticket and then tries to use it to leave a country without validating it? I have no issue whatsoever with fining true fare evaders as the rest of us subsidise them, however, the fact that any enforcement body allows its operatives to receive a cut of the fines they hand does enormous damage to their reputation because it is properly viewed as emulating the business model of the mafia. Does anybody in authority in Prague have the vaguest concern about this ?
I was in Prague this year for the Europa Conference League final. I was over the moon, that, as a match ticket holder, we were given 24 hours free public travel for the day of the final. Two female ticket inspectors in uniform approached a group of football supporters on our carriage on the Metro and the majority showed their tickets on their phones. Unfortunately for one, he didn’t possess a match ticket and was fined very heavily.
This is very useful. I plan to come to Prague in Aug-2023. thanks.
As an expat in Prague I know many friends, tourists and other expats who have had bad experiences with the inspectors. Because they get paid per fine they often intimidate people to pay on the spot even if they have a valid/ticket pass but forgot to bring it with them for whatever reason. A few years ago I had just bought and validated a ticket but couldn't find it when the inspector asked me for it. I requested to get the written ticket and pay later (because I knew I would find my validated ticket eventually) but the inspector refused and made me pay on the spot. I ended up paying the even though I shouldn't have simply because the inspector was quite rude and intimidating. I found the ticket about 30 seconds after paying the fine and of course he did not allow me to get my money back. I have another friend who had a yearly pass and forgot it at home and when he requested not to pay on the spot so he could go to the office and contest the ticket the man started yelling at him to pay immediately.
Wow, I mean having a pass at home or having lost a ticket surely should suffice. I kind of wish there were an intelligence test for people to get a residency visa…
There is no power in the world that would force them not to accept the writen ticket. Namely if you have a proof of local address.
Over 65 free 😅
Exactly, and 60+ at a reduced rate.
And that applies to natives AND tourists!!!!!!! Great deal--thank Socialism, folks!
@@ccmarcum When I was a kid 20 years ago old people would get fined. They changed it at some point though maybe during the commie regime it was free too.
So if you are a senior and transport is free, you bypass the validation machine and just show your passport to the agent ?
Can you do one about those thieves from currency exchange offices? Particularly that Interchange on Mostecka 5. What a scammers those are.
I believe Honest Guide are about to make a response video, lol
While I don't want to be mean to the tourists and I agree that there are things that can definetly be improved, it's not that hard to use the public transportation system correctly. Read what's on the back and than validate the ticket in the place where the arrow is pointing to. Than it's active in the zones which is written on the ticket for the time that's also on the ticket.
A NFC card instead of a piece of paper and print dated will solved 90% of tourist issue of forgetting to validate/cheat on when to begin the period or mistakenly validate it again next day or after a few glass of wine! a surcharge of $2eu for the card that can be refilled online or station machine will pay for the cost!
4:20 Tricky question. How can citizen verify that batch number is unique?? ;-)
They have to pay tickets before using transportation.. Other way I have to pay fine, it is not scammer
The ticket validation system is archaic to say the least but Germany is the same and there are so many German tourists they would not think it was not weird at all. Maybe that's why they don't change it because they don't have the volume of complaints? A ticket machine stamps the time and date at the same time as purchase in most other countries.
So if I were to get tickets from the hotel, buy a bunch ahead of time, from a Relay... and they had the time and date stamped at time of purchase, how would I use them?
never change a working system. why change something that is 100 % working. They even added a digital version with one's activates prior boarding. It;s not archaic it is simply woriking, and it is damm fast. No turnstiles, not front door only and queues. System is more efficient, shorter stops, quick in and out traffic.
There’s 3 of us coming to Prague in September, can one of us buy 3 tickets on one app?
why it's not validated when you buy it? it's such a stupid system...