Well, it’s never a good idea. However, till recently some of the passengers tried to travel, especially on trains, without a ticket. Anyway, now the situation has changed! And now – You, yes You who was wondering if it is easy to travel by train without a ticket in Liguria! Be prepared that it is not anymore 🙂
New rules
Normally it is a train conductor who has to manage with all passengers. And it is still so but there are new figures that help him (even if I read that such role exists from 2008! But I’ve never seen them before here in Liguria).
Protezione Aziendale
They are called Protezione Aziendale and they are groups of young men travelling on trains board. They are a kind of guards who help to manage problematic passengers and even more – they don’t allow to get on a train if you don’t have a ticket! In this way is much more difficult to travel by train without a ticket. They are wearing black waistcoats with the logo of Italian Railways. They travel in groups of 4-6. Not only to prevent the travels without tickets but also to ensure a calm and safe trip to all passengers! I would say … FINALLY!
Fines
However, if you tried to travel without a ticket anyway and a controller caches you, you will have to pay the full price of the ticket (basic rate) + the following fines:
- 50 euros if you pay immediately to the controller
- 100 euros if you pay within 15 days
- 200 euros over 15 days up to 60
Moreover, in the last two cases, it is necessary to add 5 euros as a cost of recovery.
So if you get on the Genoa-Milan Intercity train you will have to pay the controller 26 euros for the basic rate + 50 euros for a fine for a total of 76 euros!
- If in order not to pay you are hiding among the carriages or you close yourself in the bathroom you will have to pay off the basic ticket + a fine equal to three times the basic ticket with a minimum of 200 euros (in the case in which tripling the ticket does not reach 200 euros).
* What is more, there are also the fines for not validated ticket (!!!). I’ve already described it here.Â
You don’t speak in Italian? No problem 😉
You can’t even hope that speaking in English or in another language will help you to be set free cause you don’t understand the Italian language. Recently Italian Railways have recruited a lot of new staff who speaks well in foreign languages. English, French, Spanish and even German! ​​What is more, I saw that the controllers managed even Asian tourists who were speaking only in their language … and they managed them without speaking in any Asian language 😉
No cash? No problem 😉
If you’ll be caught without a ticket, you can’t even say that you don’t have cash, cause now train controllers have credit card machines …
No documents? No problem 😉
If you don’t want to show your documents and don’t want to pay the fine you will have to get off the train at the next stop of that train and the controller will call the police/carabinieri that will be waiting for you there …
So Protezione Aziendale, Italian Police, fines … I think they all are not worthy of all of that stuff … and it is better to buy a ticket immediately 🙂
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