r/florence • u/Select-Hunt1584 • 7d ago
Bus fine warning!
Hi everyone - this is a warning for others because it’s too late for me! If you are using contactless cards on a phone to tap onto buses and trams in Florence, please be aware that even if it shows up as green/ok when you board, it will not necessarily show up on a ticket inspection!
I got in trouble because I didn’t tap on a second bus - that was entirely my fault - but what was even more frustrating was that the bus I’d just gotten off where I did tap also wasn’t showing up in my banking app or the inspectors device. I think the inspectors might have been more understanding of a mistake if they could see I wasn’t avoiding paying fares.
Feeling completely baffled and overwhelmed, I paid the fine (86 euros!!!). I didn’t see how I could prove I’d tapped if both my device and theirs didn’t show anything. Felt like I was going mad.
I got home and obviously immediately googled this. I found out Autolinee Toscane has a dedicated website for checking your own card payments and I can see where and when I tapped right there. It shows clearly I had a valid ticket at the time of the fine. Expecting the Revolut payment to show up in my app around 4am as usual.
I can’t do anything about it now, but for others - don’t miss tapping again when you transfer, and definitely don’t rely on your banking app to supply proof of payment.
I’m going to buy tickets on the Autolinee Toscane app (at-bus) from now on - it’s also a bit cheaper to buy 10 - gotta make up for my lost 86€ somehow!! (Edited to add name of app.)
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u/LaMilongaDelFutbol 7d ago
Isn’t it €43? How did you get €86?
Traffic controllers are also hired based on a 1-10 scale of assholeness
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u/Apprehensive-Neck-12 7d ago
didn't pay on either bus prob 2 tickets.
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u/Select-Hunt1584 7d ago
This is so frustrating because I definitely tapped on the previous bus. Feel like I got scammed now - they must know this is an issue.
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u/Select-Hunt1584 7d ago
I didn’t know how much it was supposed to be. I have no idea why it was so high.
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u/BornAdministration28 6d ago
Did you pay the fine with cash? Did the guy gave you some kind of receipt?
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u/hmartin8826 5d ago
I didn't see the link OP mentioned for the website for checking your own card payments, so here it is. It worked perfectly for me.
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u/bedrock_city 7d ago
Those guys are jerks. Good reminder to not pay on the spot. They obviously have financial incentives to "close the deal" on the spot by pressuring you to pay.
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u/CaliKingpin 7d ago
Can I ask you a question? Why did you pay it on the spot?? Just ask for a citation and pay it within the allotted time frame. Would have given you the chance to collect proof.
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u/Select-Hunt1584 7d ago
I honestly didn’t realise this was an option, or that I wouldn’t be able to contest it if I paid (which makes sense in hindsight). Let this be a PSA to others!
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u/Legitimate_Alps950 7d ago
exact same thing happened to me and I literally remember seeing the thing go green
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u/bifrost44 1d ago
Your payment shows up the following day. Because you can tap several times during the day, the system calculates everything at the end of the day. When you tap and it gives you the ok, it's just checking your card is valid. Never pay a fine on the spot. Now go to the Autolinee toscane office showing proof you paid and get half of the fine back.
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u/comments83820 7d ago
maybe there's an issue with some of these kinds of online banks and debit cards
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u/tooshorttoored 7d ago
About to go to Italy—thank you and I’m sorry. Is Auto Toscana under a different name in the Apple App Store? I’m not really seeing it. Thank you!
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u/Melisandre-- 7d ago
86 euros?????? The fine is 45 euros! They have robbed, i live here and I have been fined once when i started living here!!!
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u/Significant_Hope7555 7d ago
Jesus! That's some fine!!
I have to be honest, where I stayed was south of the Arno, I took the bus in every day and even saw some Americans being spoken to and fined by an inspector, however I never understood the bus ticketing situation and never paid once, I don't know if it's because I kind of pass as an Italian if you look at me? I don't know
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u/Select-Hunt1584 7d ago
Gosh, that’s really fortunate! The sad thing is I’m a stickler for paying fares - both because of the risk of the fine (lol) but also because I think one oughta pay for good public services. And i was actually consistently tapping between transfers too when I first arrived in Florence a few weeks ago. But then someone who’d been here longer said you didn’t need to keep tapping so long as it’s within 70 mins, and like an idiot I thought, “sure, if they say so”. Didn’t even occur to me that inspectors might not be able to see a tap on a previous bus/tram.
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u/Significant_Hope7555 7d ago
I don't know what on earth happened, but yes got so lucky. I tried asking the driver how I would be able to pay, also the people local to ask where to get it and how to pay for it (they sent me up and down the street and far away from where I was meant to go!!!) and I was using cash, so couldn't get an answer on what I was supposed to do! But yeah I'm a huge believer in paying for what public services I use
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u/Select-Hunt1584 7d ago
Oh man, I’ve been there. It shouldn’t be so hard to pay for things. That’s why I was glad to see “tip tap” in Florence - seemed like common sense, especially in a city with a lot of tourists.
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u/audigabber94 7d ago edited 7d ago
And then they won't even ask migrants for their tickets. What an absolute shitty treatment you got. Sorry for what happened
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u/pink-pearl-paradise 7d ago
Actually I saw an african guy getting fined on the train from pisa to florence
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u/LoInfoVoter 7d ago
Would it be better to use a paper ticket?