Ticket controller (transportation)
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A ticket controller is a person who randomly checks tickets on public transport in systems where one can enter the vehicle without being checked (proof-of-payment system). Either there is a conductor having this as one of his or her tasks, or special personnel.
The system works as follows:
- passenger purchases a ticket
- passenger enters the vehicle and validates the ticket. Sometimes validation is performed when entering the platform (Berlin metro, Helsinki metro)
- while a conductor stays on a train, etc., a controller randomly enters the vehicle and checks tickets. A fine is imposed if a person without a valid ticket is found.
This system can be found on the Berlin metro and largely in Eastern Europe. A similar system is also present on the CalTrain network in the San Francisco Bay Area, where conductors randomly check trains. It only makes sense if the public transport company can maintain a large ticket sale network, and if the execution of fines is possible.
Statistic: in Poznań, Poland, the rate of free-riders varies from 4% to 10%.
