Ruter’s conditions of travel

Passengers who travel and purchase a ticket/download travel credits enter into a travel agreement with Ruter that entitles them to transportation with companies that provide transport on contract with Ruter, or on lines where Ruter collaborates with another company.

The conditions of travel apply to everyone within Ruter's areas of transport services. Ruter means Ruter AS and partner companies that provide transport services on contract for Ruter. Ruter's areas include, among others: Underground stations and on board the means of transport itself. Please note that other conditions of travel apply for Vy and operators that are not providing transport for Ruter.

Ruter's travel conditions comprise this document and the following appendix:

  1. Ruter's Travel guarantee
  2. Replacement and reimbursement for Travelcard and tickets 
  3. Detailed specification of rules regarding wheelchairs, prams and wheeled devices in public transport

Ruter's conditions of travel were approved by the Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications on 1 July 2020 pursuant to Section 33 of the Norwegian Professional Transport Act, cf. Sections 7 and 7a of the Norwegian Railways Act.
The appendix is not subject to approval of the Ministry of Transport and Communications. They are included here for purposes of comparison and are part of Ruter's commercial terms.

Content in Ruter’s conditions of travel:

  1. General rules for travel conduct and behaviour
  2. Passengers’ rights
  3. Passengers’ obligations
  4. What a passenger may bring along
  5. Rules of conduct while travelling
  6. Ticket inspections
  7. Falsification, counterfeiting and other criminal acts
  8. Irregular circumstances
  9. Lost and found
  10. Entry into force
  11. Definitions

1 General rules for travel conduct and behaviour

To meet safety requirements and ensure proper traffic management, it is necessary to regulate travel conduct and behaviour through the following measures:

  • Pedestrian traffic on the rails of the railway and crossing the tracks at places not designated for passengers is prohibited.
  • It is not permitted to use skateboards, roller skates, bicycles or similar in Ruter's or on board Ruter's means of transport.
  • Loitering on Ruter's areas of transport services is prohibited.

Persons who fail to heed instructions that are posted or given verbally by personnel can be expelled from the area.

2 Passengers' rights

Passengers holding valid tickets have the right to use Ruter's transportation within the framework of officially offered routes and ordinary capacity. In the event of delays, the travel guarantee applies, cf. Appendix 1. Passengers who travel in a sizeable group (15 or more; for Metro travel, groups of more than 100) must contact Ruter for further agreement of transportation.

The passenger has the right to adequate information needed to execute travel, cf. Ruter's travel guarantee, Appendix 1.

Ruter's reimbursement rules apply for all refunds, cf. Appendix 2.

3 Passengers' obligations

passengers are obliged to:

  • a) pay for travel in compliance with Ruter's conditions and prices.
  • b) have a valid ticket when boarding a means of transport or upon entry into a control zone. This means that electronic tickets must be activated at the point of entry.
  • c) use tickets in accordance with announced rules and conditions that are posted, among other places, on board the means of transport, on the website ruter.no and in the Ruter app.
  • d) show the ticket to personnel upon request. You must show your ticket to the operator when entering transport vehicles that only permit front-door boarding.
  • e) document the entitlement to a discounted fare by showing valid personal identification. Students must show student ID that confirms entitlement to student fares at the time of travel (e.g. a receipt for a current student registration fee) - or prove entitlement by some other means in accordance with Ruter's conditions posted on board the transport vehicles, on the website ruters.no and in printed notification.
  • f) Follow the rules of conduct and behaviour while travelling, cf. Point 4.

A ticket purchased via mobile telephone authorizes boarding when the countdown on the mobile application has begun.

The ticket must be kept during the entire trip and up until the time the passenger has left the means of transport or the control zone.

4 What a passenger may bring along

Objects and pets mentioned here may be taken along on Ruter's means of transport and into Ruter's transport service areas if space allows. Objects and pets travel at the owner's risk and must not be a nuisance or hazard to personnel or other passengers.

In cases of doubt, official personnel shall decide whether or not objects or pets can be transported.

4.1 Luggage

Passengers are permitted to take along an easily manageable object/luggage item provided it does not inconvenience other passengers.

4.2 Pets

Pets must be under the owner's control (on a leash, in a cage or similar). Pets are not permitted on seats.

4.3 Wheeled devices that can be taken along

Wheeled devices such as prams and wheelchairs can be taken on board Ruter's means of transport. Closer specifications are given under Point 11 Definitions and in Appendix 3. Personnel shall assist passengers boarding and exiting as far as practically possible. Certain stops and means of transport are not suitably adapted for wheelchair users.

Bicycles may be taken along, but must be rolled. The above does not apply to tandem bicycles because of length restrictions, see below, Point 11 Definitions.

4.4 Objects that may not be taken along

Flammable and explosive materials, loaded weapons, sharp-edged, foul-smelling or excessively large objects or other items that constitute an obvious hazard or inconvenience to other passengers may not be taken along.

5 Rules of conduct while travelling

The personal activity/conduct of persons while in Ruter's areas of transport service must not be an inconvenience to others, or of such a nature as to cause a hazardous or unwanted situation. 

Pursuant to the Norwegian Tobacco Control Act, smoking is not permitted on any means of transport, inside Ruter's areas of transport service and/or at any entrances/exits for these areas. Smoking is also prohibited outdoors in Ruter's areas where no-smoking signs are posted.

The use of intoxicating substances is prohibited in Ruter's areas.

It is not permitted to obstruct the personnel's necessary view from the means of transport or to position oneself in doorways so that the door cannot be closed. Passengers are not permitted to open doors while the vehicle is moving or to board/exit any means of transport that is in motion or irregularly stops at places other than the official stops/stations. Passengers are not permitted to enter the driver/pilot's cab in the means of transport or to touch the driving controls. It is not permitted to use skateboards, roller skates, bicycles or similar in Ruter's areas of transport services or on board means of transport.
Unnecessary use of the emergency alarm to open doors, and misuse of other emergency equipment, is not permitted.

Passengers who do not follow the rules of conduct and behaviour rules can be expelled.

6 Ticket inspections

6.1 General

Ruter's personnel have the right to inspect passengers' tickets. The passenger has a right to be treated with respect. Ticket inspection can be conducted by uniformed or non-uniformed personnel. Non-uniformed personnel must show proof of identity without being asked to do so. A wrongfully used ticket can be confiscated.

6.2 Penalty surcharge

Passengers who are checked and found to have a ticket that was invalid prior to commencement of travel are obligated to pay a penalty surcharge. The term commenced travel means that the passenger is on board the means of transport or inside the control zone. People without a valid ticket can also be charged an additional fee when they get out of the means of transport. The rule applies in periods where, as a result of infection control measures, there is a requirement for distance between passengers and staff.

The penalty surcharges are approved by the Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications.

If payment of the penalty is made on site, the surcharge is lower than if the customer chooses to pay by giro. A lower penalty applies for children younger than 18 years of age regardless of whether the surcharge is paid on site or by giro. Passengers who pay on site are given a receipt that permits them to continue their journey under normal conditions.

If the surcharge is not paid on site, Ruter has the right to require that the penalty be paid by giro by a fixed deadline. In such cases, the passenger does not have the right to continue the journey without purchasing an ordinary ticket.

The passenger is obligated to provide his/her correct name, address and date of birth and to wait while the information is being confirmed so that the surcharge can be invoiced. An interruption of the passenger's journey due to ticket inspection does not entitle the passenger to exemption from the penalty.

Ruter has the responsibility to ensure that the ticketing equipment is functioning. If Ruter is aware that the equipment is not operative, a penalty surcharge will not be imposed. In cases of doubt as to whether the passenger was unable to purchase a valid ticket due to technical failure, a penalty will not be imposed until after Ruter has inspected the specific equipment in question and found it to have been in order at the time the ticket was purchased.

Failure to pay the surcharge will be followed up with reminders and eventually, if ignored, will be sent to debt collection. For minors younger than 18 years of age, no debt collection costs will be incurred, but the minor's parents may be informed. In repeated cases, the parents may be held liable for Ruter's loss.

6.3 Detainment of passengers without a valid ticket

Ruter's inspectors can detain a passenger when:

  • a) travelling without a valid ticket, and either
  • b) failure to pay the penalty surcharge on site, or
  • c) failure to provide his/her correct name, address and birth date.

The police will be contacted.

The passenger can be detained until he/she provides a correct name, address and birth date, and for as long as the information is being controlled.

Persons younger than 15 years of age will not be detained. A person may not be detained if the circumstances of detention are deemed to constitute a disproportionate measure. Legal basis for detention is found in Section 7a of the Norwegian Railway Act and Section 33 of the Professional Transport Act.

Passengers who are unable to present proof of a valid ticket must leave Ruter's area of transport services.

7 Falsification, counterfeiting and other criminal acts

A passenger travelling with a false or counterfeit ticket is obliged to pay an increased penalty surcharge, and the ticket will be confiscated. Travelling without a valid ticket, and devising a false or forged ticket are punishable offences. The violation can be reported to the police. Passengers who demonstrate any other punishable behaviour can be reported to the police.

8 Irregular circumstances

In the event of delays, rerouting, stop in traffic or cancellation of departures or other irregular circumstances, passengers may claim reimbursement for documented expenses in accordance with Ruter's travel guarantee, cf. Appendix 1. Ruter is liable to refund costs resulting from ticketing failure due to Ruter and Ruter's equipment.

Claims against Ruter must be submitted within three months after the event occurred. After expiry of the deadline, Ruter can satisfy the claim if the passenger can justify that he/she has a right to reimbursement. The deadline for submitting a claim for reimbursement is not applicable for faulty invoicing. When asked to do so, personnel shall voluntarily provide their identification number if a passenger wishes to submit a complaint. Complaints are to be addressed to Ruter's customer service centre.

9 Lost and found

Found objects must be given to Ruter's personnel Found objects are stored for three months. If the owner does not prove his right to the object within this period, Ruter can donate the object to a charitable organization.

10 Entry into force

The conditions of travel were approved by the Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications on 11 January 2017 and entered into force on that date.

11 Definitions

"Valid ticket": A ticket that is correct for the passenger's travel in terms of time of travel, number of zones and category (child, adolescent, adult, senior, military and student). Electronic tickets must be activated when the passenger boards a means of transport or prior to entry into a control zone.

«Activate»: To validate a ticket downloaded onto a travelcard or mobile telephone, or an automatic single ticket from pay-as-you-go credit.

"Control zone": A marked/posted area of the station or a stop into which passengers without valid tickets may not enter.

"Passenger": A person who uses Ruter's means of transport or who is inside a control zone..

"Wheelchair": Device having three or more wheels and/or traction belts and which is specially constructed for moving a person with reduced mobility.. The measurements of the wheelchair must not be larger than that found in the current regulation relating to universal design. On certain means of transport, somewhat larger wheelchairs may be permitted. See specification in Appendix 3.

«Bicycle»: Wheeled device having two wheels and manual propulsion. Maximum length is.1750 mm and width must not exceed 700 mm.

"Ruter's areas of transport services": Areas that are reserved for collective traffic and where Ruter or subcontracted partners who provide services on behalf of Ruter are authorized to regulate public traffic and/or public access to and activity inside the area. This encompasses stops/lay-bys along Ruter's own routes, Underground stations, railway lines and the means of transport itself.

"Station": Every stop along a separate track area. A stop along a street/road is not a station.

"Means of transport": The Underground, tram, bus, boat and taxi.

"Additional charge/penalty surcharge": An additional charge imposed upon passengers who during a ticket inspection aboard the means of transport or at a station cannot present a valid ticket.