You’re not the only one who feels your pulse rise when the ticket inspectors get on, even if you have a valid ticket. Maybe you haven’t looked at your monthly pass for a while and start to wonder if it has expired. Fortunately, the vast majority of people do pay for their journeys when they use public transport.

The ticket must be valid for the duration of the journey

The most important thing to remember when you travel with one of Ruter’s means of transport is that you must be able to show a valid ticket every time you travel. If inspectors board, you will only avoid a fine if you can present a valid ticket there and then.

That means you must have:

• Bought your ticket before you boarded the bus or tram, or before entering the controlled area of the metro station. Ticket inspectors can issue a fine if they see that the ticket was, for example, bought at the same time as they boarded. This rule exists to prevent people from only buying a ticket when there is an inspection.
  
• Power and internet on your mobile so that you can document that you have a valid ticket. If you don’t have power or internet on your mobile before you travel, you must buy a physical ticket at one of our points of sale.
  
• The correct ticket type. It may sound obvious, but the ticket type must be correct for the person who is traveling. That means, for example, that adults cannot travel with a child ticket.
  
• Proof that you are entitled to travel with a discounted ticket. Students must show a valid student ID, personnel in initial military service must show their service ID, and companions must have a valid companion certificate.
  

Ruter’s ticket inspectors are allowed to make individual assessments in their work. This means they can assess whether, in certain cases, it is appropriate not to fine passengers who do not have a valid ticket.

Refunding of fines – what are the rules?

If you are one of the unlucky ones who, for example, has bought a monthly pass but cannot show it during a ticket inspection, you can contact our customer service to ask for advice and assistance.

It is important to point out that, as a rule, Ruter cannot refund fines where ticket purchases are documented after the inspection. The main rule is that all passengers must be able to present a valid ticket during ticket inspection.

Why is this so strict?

Some may feel it’s strict to receive a fine if you paid for a ticket that you just couldn’t show at the time of the inspection.

Every year, Ruter handles many ticket inspection cases where customers try to falsify documentation to prove they had a valid ticket during the inspection. This means we have to be extra strict when someone applies to have a fine refunded.

We need to set a limit for what counts as a valid ticket and what does not. The criteria listed above make it possible to distinguish between those who pay and those who do not.

90% of those who travel by public transport pay for 100% of the journeys. That means that those who don’t pay are freeloading on those who always have a valid ticket. It is an important part of Ruter’s social mission to ensure that public transport is perceived as fair and worth the money.

Some tips that make it easier to always have a valid ticket

• Get notified when your ticket expires
  There’s a lot to remember, like renewing your ticket. If you turn on notifications, you’ll be alerted when your ticket expires. You can do this by going to profile > settings > notifications.
  
• Subscribe to a 30-day ticket (monthly pass)
  Go to Tickets → View details → Start subscription, and you’re all set! The ticket renews automatically, giving you one less thing to remember in your daily life.
  
• Buy a ticket in no time before you board
  Press and hold the Ruter icon on your phone. Then you jump straight to ticket purchase – without opening the app first. Perfect when you’re in a hurry!

Finally – remember:

Ruter does not make money from carrying out ticket inspections. In fact, it costs more to run ticket inspections over the course of a year than the money collected from fines. We carry out ticket inspections to get more people to pay for public transport. This is something that we know works. All the money always goes back into public transport services.