Inspection

INSPECTION AND FINES OF PASSENGERS WITHOUT A VALID TICKET

(according to the Ordinance on Passenger Transportation and Conditions of Travel on Mass Urban Transport within the Territory of the Municipality of Sofia)

INVALID TRANSPORT DOCUMENTS

Art. 33. (amended by Resolution No. 433 as per Minutes No. 43 from 25.06.2009) Transport documents whose details do not match the trip (line number and validity period), personal concession card that belongs to a different person, ticket in a different format, voucher from 5- or 10-trip ticket without the last voucher of this ticket, non-validated smartcard credited with e-tickets for 5 or 10 single trips of one passenger on trolleybus or tram, lack of accompanying documents or submission of a document that is not stipulated in this Ordinance are considered as invalid and their owner is subject to fines in line with Section VII of this Ordinance.

Art. 34. Details on a paper transport document may not be amended, crossed out, highlighted or erased. Otherwise the document shall be declared invalid, its holder shall be fined in line with Section VII of the Ordinance and may be held criminally responsible pursuant to the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code.

INSPECTION AND FINES

Art. 35 (1) Sofia Municipality Council shall designate the Manager of Urban Mobility Centre EOOD and the Executive Director of Metropoliten EAD with the power to appoint officials from both companies who will perform inspection of the passengers’ transport documents in MPT. The officials (conductors) shall identify themselves using ID’s in a standard format, approved by the Manager of Urban Mobility Centre EOOD and the Executive Director of Metropoliten EAD.

(2) If the ticket inspectors find that a passenger is travelling without a valid transport document, the passenger has to purchase a penalty fare ticket at a price ten times higher than the value of a single trip ticket. The ticket shall be punched by the ticket inspector. This entitles the passenger to continue his/her travel in the same vehicle.

(3) (Amended by Resolution No 433 as per Minutes 43 from 25.06.2009) If the ticket inspectors find that a passenger is travelling with a non-validated travel smartcard in trams and trolleybuses, the passenger has to purchase a ticket for a passenger with a non-validated smartcard at a price equal to the price of a single trip ticket.

(4) If found in possession of an invalid transport document, as stipulated in Art. 33, the passenger has to purchase a penalty fare ticket at a price ten times higher than the value of a single trip ticket. The ticket shall be punched by the ticket inspector. This entitles the passenger to continue his/her travel in the same vehicle.

(5) For every piece of luggage subject to a charge that has not been paid, the passenger has to purchase a penalty fare ticket at a price ten times higher than the value of a single trip ticket. The ticket shall be punched by the ticket inspector. This entitles the passenger to continue his/her travel in the same vehicle.

Art. 36 (1) (Amended by Resolution No 433 as per Minutes 43 from 25.06.2009) If a passenger refuses to pay the penalty fare for travelling without a valid transport document or purchase a ticket for a passenger with a non-validated smartcard, the ticket inspector shall issue a statement of administrative offence in line with the Administrative Violations and Sanctions Act to the passenger for either of these offences whereby the conductor shall compel the passenger to disembark at the first stop on the route of the vehicle. The invalid paper transport document is taken from the passenger and is handed over to the responsible departments of Urban Mobility Centre EOOD and Metropoliten EAD. An invalid transport document in electronic form shall be blocked until the fine is paid.

(2) (Amended by Resolution No 433 as per Minutes 43 from 25.06.2009) If found to be travelling with a falsified or blocked transport document, the passenger shall be compelled to get off the vehicle and a statement of administrative offence shall be drawn up by the conductor in line with the Administrative Violations and Sanctions Act. The falsified or blocked transport document is taken from the passenger and is handed over to the responsible departments of Urban Mobility Centre EOOD and Metropoliten EAD.

(3) The officials (conductors), appointed by the Manager of Urban Mobility Centre EOOD and the Executive Director of Metropoliten EAD, shall draw up statements of offences to the persons in violation upon each ascertained offence in accordance with the powers granted to them herein.

(4) On the basis of the drawn up statements of administrative offences stipulated in Аrt. 36 (1) and (2) as related to Аrt. 35 (2), (3), (4) and (5) from this Ordinance, the Mayor of Sofia or his/her authorized deputy shall issue penal orders.

(5) Institution of proceedings, drawing up of statements of administrative offences, issuance, summons service and appeals against the penal orders as well as determination of the fines shall be done in accordance with the Administrative Violations and Sanctions Act.

(6) The fines provided for in the event of penal orders are as follows:

1. For offences stated in Art. 36(1) as related to Art. 35(2), (4) and (5) of this Ordinance – BGN 70.00.

2. For offences stated in Art. 36(2) of this Ordinance – BGN 100.00.

3. For offences stated in Art. 36(1) as related to Art. 35(3) of this Ordinance – BGN 10.00.

Art. 37 (1) Minors over 16 years of age shall also be held liable for administrative offences if they are found to be competent enough to understand the nature and the significance of the offence and the consequences of their actions.

(2) (Amended by Resolution No 433 as per Minutes 43 from 25.06.2009) Liability for violations committed by minors between 14 and 16 years of age, who have been placed under interdiction, shall be borne by their parents, custodians or guardians if they knowingly allowed the violation to happen or were in a position to prevent it but they did not. A statement of findings shall be drawn up in such an event, based on which one of the parents, custodians or guardians shall be issued with a statement of administrative violation in line with the Administrative Violations and Sanctions Act.

Art. 38 The Manager of Urban Mobility Centre EOOD and the Executive Director of Metropoliten EAD shall have the right to hire under a contract sergeant police officers from Sofia’s Head Police Department to control and protect public order during inspections of the validity of passengers’ transport documents in the vehicles.

Art. 39 (1) In the event of any non-observance of the rules of order in the vehicles, stipulated in this Ordinance, the infringer must pay a penalty fare to the conductor of a price ten times higher than the value of the single trip ticket. Such a ticket has to be punched by the conductor.

(2) If any damages of the public transport vehicles and facilities are found by the conductors of the operators, a statement of findings must be drawn up for the purposes of Urban Mobility Centre EOOD, Metropoliten EAD, Sofia Municipality, the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Transport and Communications. The statement of findings shall contain the following data: details of the perpetrator of the damage, kind of the damage, place, date and time it was caused. The statement shall be signed by the conductor and the perpetrator of the damage.

(3) If the perpetrator refuses to sign the statement of findings, the document shall be certified by the signature of the ticket inspector and one witness.

(4) Unless the perpetrator freely agrees to cover the cost of the damage, the cost shall be recovered through court action.

Art. 40. Officials from the Transport Department at the Municipality of Sofia, Sofia Urban Mobility Centre EOOD and the municipal transport companies (Appendix No 4) shall perform inspections in the vehicles and MPT facilities as part of their official duties. They shall identify themselves by their personal official pass.

The conductor’s official duty shall be: to inspect the tickets and travel cards of passengers travelling on transport of the Urban Mobility Centre EOOD, to collect fares and to fine passengers without proper transport documents.

The following insignia and uniform must be worn by the conductor during inspection of the passengers transport documents:

Minimum requirements for selection of conductors:

secondary education;
certificate of good conduct;
medical certificate of no history of mental disorders from a psychiatric clinic;
psychological attributes necessary for this position and suitable communication skills proved by psychological test carried out by specialist psychologists from the Revenue Collection Department;

The controller must be familiar with the Ordinance on Passenger Transportation and the terms for free travel of officials and non-officials on mass urban transport within the territory of the Municipality of Sofia; Ordinance on the Inspection of Passengers and Maintenance of Public Order in Mass Urban Transport; Ordinance on Work with all types of documents with security features that may be used as transport documents and reporting of income from urban transport in the City of Sofia . He/she has to know the routes of all lines servicing the Municipality of Sofia.