If I am checked by ticket inspectors on the bus in Oslo with a ticket that expired over 1 hour ago, how to prove my ticket is actually valid?
- By
- Aparna Patel
- |
- 3 Aug, 2023
- |
I have spent two summers as a ticket inspector in Oslo, so this is the "correct" answer for Oslo.
In our (brief) training, we were taught that if someone claims they entered the bus with a valid ticket and this is possible according to the timetable then we should not fine them, however unlikely the scenario.
If the ticket inspector gives you a fine anyway then you can complain online and you won’t have to pay it. You must of course show that what you claim is possible.
The tl;dr answer — based on personal experience with similar situations — is at the time you board the bus, take a screenshot of the app if you only have your phone, or even better, take a photo of your mobile with the app activated with some kind of bus identifier in the background, or at least the farebox, should you also have a camera with you (as you might when you are sightseeing).
As a longer answer, in practice, in more casual cultures, a fare inspector probably will listen to what you say, look at their watch, nod, and move on, especially if you clearly are a local. In most places, a long suburban route is unlikely to have fare inspectors because ridership is not high enough to cover the cost of enforcement, either.
However, depending on the culture and the severity of a potential penalty — particularly if you do not speak the local language well or at all — it really isn’t that paranoid to document your entry accordingly. If it is an option, you might also just choose to buy a new ticket if you’re cutting it close. Transit commonly is underfunded as is.
As a couple of real-world examples:
-
In Vancouver, Canada, before TransLink put in turnstiles on the
train, fare inspections were conducted by police and reportedly
those without a ticket or with an expired ticket actually could be
charged with an offence and compelled to attend court. Vancouver has turnstiles now, thankfully. However, if you are in
a city where the penalties potentially are so severe and time consuming, a screenshot or a photo
definitely is worth the effort! -
In Paris, France, I once just purchased a Navigo monthly pass from a
local shop. You are required to then take a photo of yourself using a vending
machine in the metro and manually affix this physical photo to your card. The photo machine
was broken in the nearest metro station, so I used my phone to take a photo of
the metro card and the receipt in front of the broken machine with
its "out of order" screen visible. Figuring that the odds of getting
hassled by a fare inspector on a single trip were unlikely regardless, I went on the train with
the plan to use the photo machine at the arrival station.Paris, of course, is notorious both for locals jumping turnstiles
without payment and for fare inspectors that enforce aggressively at
stations with heavy tourist traffic. Despite the single trip, I was intercepted by fare enforcement in a tunnel at the
arrival station, but because I had the documentation, I was permitted to go upstairs to use the photo machine in that
station without penalty. Had I not taken a photo of the broken machine at the departure station, it likely
would have been an expensive and unpleasant encounter.
Ultimately, a little bit of documentation always is a good idea, particularly if you think there might be the possibility of a dispute. Safe travels!
Credit:stackoverflow.com‘
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