How are validated underground tickets checked in Berlin?
I have been travelling around Berlin the last few days. I have bought a ticket for the underground zones A and B every day but my ticket has not been checked once and there are no barriers (I'm from London where both are the norm).
Can someone explain the underground system? Is there a ticket man that I've just happened to not come across or does Berlin use another system? Also what are the small machines that you put your ticket into and it punches some indents into the ticket? What are the penalties of not buying a ticket (and how would someone who doesn't buy a ticket get caught?)
Best Answer
To my experience, tickets get checked by people dressed as passengers, so you cannot notice them when entering the metro and change your path. When the doors close, they rapidly ask everyone to show their tickets.
I was checked twice on the same day during my 3-day visit in Berlin, which was quite a shock to me. There are no barriers to enter the metro where I live, and I get checked once a month on average.
Edit: Gayot Fow adds that the people checking tickets show their IDs while doing so after the doors are closed.
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How do I validate a ticket in Berlin?
Important: Validation of the ticketThe devices for validation are located at the stations next to the ticket machines. There you put the ticket in the slot and stamp it. As soon as the ticket is stamped, you can start with your valid ticket.Are there ticket inspectors in Berlin?
Inspectors in Berlin are notorious for being very strict and indeed hostile if you do not have a ticket. Thinking that you can get away with it by being a foreign visitor to Berlin is a mistake, as they will chase up unpaid fines and add interest.Do they check tickets on bus in Berlin?
Additionally bus drivers will check tickets when you enter the bus.How can I validate my ticket in Germany?
Your ticket must be validated, either before you board the train (using machines at the station entrance or on the platform), or immediately after you board a bus or tram (using machines in the aisle). The \u201cEntwerter\u201d stamps your ticket with a code for the date and time.How to use Public Transport in BERLIN, GERMANY
More answers regarding how are validated underground tickets checked in Berlin?
Answer 2
Note that regular tickets are not valid for round trips. You can use them up to two hours after validating them, and you can stop for a coffee break en route, but you cannot travel back towards the starting point.
Answer 3
Tickets get checked periodically by BVG personnell on the train. You may or may not recognize them (they may disguise as regular passengers).
The fine is normally 40 €. You don't have to pay it immediately. You have to give them your identity card. They will note down name and address and then you will be fined 40 €. (If you get caught repeatedly, you might even get sued at some point, but normally that's only the case if you're a regular offender.) If you can't prove your identity, they will take you to the next police station so that they will identify you.
The small machines put a time stamp (and perhaps code of the station where you stamped it) onto the ticket. When you buy a ticket, it's normally not valid yet, since it doesn't have a date on it. You might buy it on one day and use it on another. After you put it into the machine, it has a time stamp on it and is valid for whatever period that ticket's supposed to be valid for.
Answer 4
Tickets are checked once in a while by BVG personell (they are disguised however)
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