Ticket inspections

You are responsible for ensuring that you have a valid ticket for your trip. If you do not have a valid ticket, you risk receiving a surcharge. The purpose of ticket inspections is to prevent cheating and to get more travellers paying for themselves. If you think you have received a surcharge incorrectly, you can appeal against it.

How a ticket inspection works

Uniformed ticket inspectors always wear work clothes and an identity badge that clearly states that they work as ticket inspectors. They can check your ticket when you enter a bus stop area, outside a vehicle before boarding or on board. Civilian ticket inspectors are also present and wear an identity badge.

Why did I receive a surcharge?

It is your responsibility to ensure that you have a valid ticket for your journey. In order for your ticket to be considered valid, you must have purchased and activated your digital ticket, for example in the Västtrafik To Go app, before boarding the vehicle. Alternatively, you must check in your card immediately upon boarding.

You can find the full terms under the section Valid ticket in our terms and conditions of purchase and travel.

Terms and conditions of purchase and travel

If, during a ticket inspection, you do not have a valid ticket for your journey, you will be required to pay a surcharge. These are some possible reasons why a surcharge may be issued:

If you are travelling with a ticket that is not valid for the correct day or time.
If you are travelling with a ticket at a discounted price even though you do not meet the requirements for the discount. Age limits and discounts.
If you are travelling with a ticket that is not valid in the zone you are travelling in.
If you are travelling with a ticket that is not valid for your age category.
If you do not present any ticket at all.

How to pay your surcharge

The surcharge is paid to Bankgiro 5971-5359. When making the payment, please use the OCR number as the reference. You can also pay the surcharge by logging into MyRopo with BankID.

If you have received an information card from the inspector, the card contains information on how to appeal and pay the surcharge.

If you wish to appeal

If you think the surcharge has been issued incorrectly, you must appeal to us within 10 days of the surcharge being issued. Explain your concerns and why you think the surcharge is incorrect. Please read the points above before disputing a surcharge.

Appeal surcharge

Appealing on behalf of someone else

To appeal on behalf of someone else, you need to attach a power of attorney or a certificate proving guardianship. The power of attorney must be signed by both parties and include images of both parties' identification documents. A power of attorney from a guardian is not required when appealing a child's surcharge.

Power of attorney for appeal against surcharge (pdf, opens in new window)

Terms and conditions

If you have a registered ticket that you have not been able to present at the time of inspection, you may be entitled to have your surcharge reduced. If you have your surcharge reduced, this means that the amount will be reduced to SEK 150 for those over the age of 18 years old and SEK 50 if you are between 15 and 17 years old.

To assess whether you are eligible for a reduced surcharge, you need to provide one of the following:

School ticket

School card valid at the time of the inspection.

Student discount

Screenshot of your student ID showing the student travel symbol
Season ticket

Certificate card

Certificate card
ID
Season ticket

To assess whether you are eligible for a reduced surcharge, we need to check if you had a valid ticket at the time of inspection. See the section Valid ticket in our terms and conditions for purchase and travel.

Terms and conditions of purchase and travel

Västtrafik's guidelines for ticket inspections (pdf in Swedish)

Penalty for not having a valid ticket

Youths between 15-17 years: SEK 750

Adults over the age of 18 years: SEK 1500

Frequently asked questions

Yes, anyone who uses public transport without paying for it can be guilty of minor fraud. This can result in a fine or imprisonment for up to six months. If you pay the surcharge, the case will not be prosecuted.

We know that more people choose to pay for their journey if they meet ticket control more often. Frequent ticket inspections is an effective method to get more people to buy tickets.

The inspectors wear a dark blue uniform with a light blue polo shirt or a bright blue jacket that clearly says "Biljettkontroll". They wear blue caps or hats with Västtrafik's logo.

The civilian-clothed inspectors look like anyone, but when they start the inspection, they will always have their ID card clearly visible. They use the same ticket scanner as the uniformed ticket inspectors, to read your ticket.

If you do not have a valid ticket, we will ask for identification and write you a surcharge.

No, you cannot pay your surcharge directly to the inspector. You pay your surcharge to our payment partner Ropo and use the OCR number as a reference.

If you want to pay your fee with Swish, you can do so by logging in to MyRopo with BankID.

If you do not have a valid ticket at a ticket inspection, we will ask to see your ID. If you do not have an ID, we will ask for your personal data and ask verification questions to verify that the information is correct.If you do not want to show identification or provide your personal data, we may have to call the police. We would prefer to avoid this, so please cooperate with us. Keep in mind that if you provide false personal data or someone else's personal data, it is an offence that can lead to imprisonment.

A ticket inspector may, just like any other person, make a so-called "envarsgripande" if they see a person committing an offence with a prison sentence, such as minor fraud (not having a valid ticket counts as that), and threats and/or violence against an officer. In the case of a "envarsgripande", the traveller is kept in place while waiting for the police, but this is a last resort and something we always try to avoid.

Yes, a ticket inspector has the right to reject a passenger who does not show a valid ticket.