Lítačka Tickets Not Loading on Public Transport Inspection Devices

“I don’t see anything… do you have a receipt for the ticket?” inspectors and transport controllers have been heard repeating this phrase on Prague’s public transportation in the past few weeks. The proof of payment is often the only confirmation of the fact that the traveller has a valid ticket recorded on their Lítačka card. This problem started at the beginning of September when Lítačka began selling public transportation tickets on their e-shop.

“There are people who use their Litacka card, and neither the inspectors nor the validators can see the recorded coupon” Míša Strnadová, a spokeswoman for Prague Integrated Transport on Facebook voiced her annoyance, and her words were confirmed by many other Prague citizens. Some travellers with no proof of payment have even received a fine, despite having actually paid for the ticket online.

“On the contrary, some people have taken advantage of this situation and have been riding without a valid ticket. The inspectors are now accustomed to the fact that vouchers are not showing up on their systems, so they can’t confirm if a ticket is expired or not.” One man admitted. “The conductor asked me whether or not the coupon was uploaded recently. It might appear on the system later” he adds.

According to the ICT service provider that operates Lítačka, the problem is with the devices used by public transport inspectors and conductors as they’re often outdated and have not been recalibrated. Because of this, they cannot retrieve the newly bought tickets and vouchers. ICT spokesman Vladimír Antonín Bláha announced a similar situation last month. According to bus driver Jakub Vávr, however, there is a problem with the incompetence of the whole system, and similar cases are increasing. “It is now completely out of the question to check the tickets of passengers on board in advance, so I have resigned from doing so for the time being,” the driver says.

If the passenger ticket recorded by the inspector does not load, the passenger should request an online inquiry. Every inspection device has access to the online database. They should always be able to find the ticket information in the system.

Author: Holly Webb