Why every trip is to be registered, do all passengers without exception have to register their trips?

A: Yes, every trip is to be registered when entering a public transport vehicle. By registering the trip, a passenger confirms paying the fare. Unless a passenger registers the trip (by putting the e-ticket close to the validator), he or she will be fined like a fare-dodger.

A one-month ticket for one route must be registered in the route it is intended for, or the basic route, it can also be used in other vehicles of the same public transport type, within overlapping segments of the routes.

In other countries, passengers are asked to register their trip not only when they get into public transport, but also when they leave it. Such possibility was considered during the feasibility study in Riga as well, yet the final decision was that the trip would be registered only when the passenger gets into public transport.

Furthermore, the registration of each trip will have certain advantage as it will help to fight against unfair, provided all public transport users will condemn fare dodgers and agree that fare should be paid. As an example one can mention the one given by Jean Charles Collier, chairman of the board in SIA Rīgas karte. He told about the rather interesting experience of the city of Lyon (France), where the carrier’s revenues after the introduction of the electronic system increased by 30%. Earlier the only requirement for public transport passengers in the city of Lyon was to have a ticket in the pocket, nothing else. It is logical that a certain part of passengers did not pay, as it was impossible to say whether he/she had the ticket in his/her pocket or not. When the electronic payments were introduced, everybody getting into the public transport had to apply the ticket to the validator, which signalled whether the ticket was valid or not. In Riga, the green light of the validator will also signal the validity of the ticket. In France, they call it social monitoring. It is a kind of philosophy, which is to be promoted in Riga as well, i.e. everybody is subject to the same rules and people around you see whether you abide by these rules too. True, although these principles are successfully working in Paris and elsewhere in Europe, they are not observed in South America, for instance.  

What will happen if the trip is not registered?

A: Unless you register your trip when entering a public transport vehicle by applying your smart card to a validator, you are facing a fine of LVL 5.00 in case of ticket control.

How tickets are being controlled?

A: Controllers will check whether passengers have registered their trips. Passengers having not registered their trip will have to pay a fine for fare dodging. Controllers will be equipped with special devices displaying when the last trip was registered with the e-ticket concerned.