Novelty in Vilnius public transport – the inspection ticket

Today, the Vilnius City Council approved the issue discussed in the committees concerning the possibility for passengers to choose an inspection ticket instead of a fine, and also approved the changes allowing to expand the types of tickets.

Fine or inspection ticket

Driving without a ticket on Vilnius public transport incurs an administrative fine ranging from 16 to 30 euros. If the violation is committed for the first time in a year, the passenger has the option to pay half of the minimum fine, i.e. 8 euros. Susisiekimo paslaugos passenger inspectors on average issue approximately 6,000 protocols for riding public transportation without a ticket per month.

Photograph by S. Žiūra

If during the inspection the passenger does not have a ticket or the ticket is not marked on time or its validity has expired, he/she has to disembark the vehicle, present a personal identification document and wait for the protocol of an administrative offence to be drawn up.

“It is inconvenient not only for the passenger being disembarked, but also for the fellow passengers, because it often takes time to explain the situation,” says Lina Juknevičienė, Head of Customer Experience at Susisiekimo paslaugos (JUDU). “A disembarked passenger not only gets his travel plans messed up, but also has to experience negative emotions. And after all, there are various situations in life, due to which the passengers fail to pay for their trips. Sometimes this happens due to forgetfulness or hurry. The emergence of the inspection ticket will allow us to solve such unpleasant situations in the most optimal way.”

In order to save everyone’s precious time, the inspection ticket will be available for payment only in non-cash, it will cost 8 euros – half of the minimum fine.

Photograph by S. Žiūra

Additional changes

The Vilnius City Council also approved the change in the setting of ticket prices (tariffs) proposed by Susisiekimo paslaugos (JUDU), which would allow the introduction of additional types of tickets if necessary. Currently, timed tickets can only be purchased electronically, i.e. by topping up the Vilniečio kortelė or making a purchase on a mobile telephone. The paper ticket is single-use only, marked for one trip and may only be purchased from the driver.

The changes to the rules approved by the Council will make it easier to introduce a new type of timed ticket. For example, a timed ticket could be bought at the ticketing terminal.

However, the introduction of such tickets is currently not under consideration as in the near future passengers will continue to be able to purchase tickets in their usual ways – by filling in their existing Vilniečio kortelė or even more conveniently – by using the mobile applications m.Ticket and Trafi, as well as buying one-time tickets from the driver.

The changes will come into effect on 1 August of this year.  Passengers of Vilnius public transport will also be able to purchase the inspection ticket from 1 August. Despite this possibility, the inspection ticket is only an alternative to the fine for traveling without a ticket, so passengers must still follow the rules, buy tickets in advance and mark them properly in order to ensure a smooth and pleasant trip on public transport.