Repeated driving without a ticket should be allowed Potsdam no longer be prosecuted. “From now on, Verkehrsbetrieb Potsdam GmbH will refrain from filing criminal charges for repeated driving without a ticket,” a spokesman for the municipal utility company said. This was preceded by a decision by the Potsdam City Council, in which the mayor was asked to instruct the transport companies to refrain from filing such criminal charges in the future.
Fare evasion will continue to be punished, however: if you travel without a valid ticket, an increased transport fee of 60 euros will still be charged in the future, the spokesman said. According to the transport company, only a few cases of fare evasion had been reported in Potsdam in the past.
The background is that fare evasion or “benefit fraud” is generally considered a criminal offence in Germany and falls under federal law. There is therefore a risk of a fine or even a prison sentence of up to one year. In addition, the municipalities can suspend criminal prosecution, but they cannot change the offence itself. In other cities, too, the transport companies want to avoid advertising in the future.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:240724-930-183346/1
Repeated driving without a ticket should be allowed Potsdam no longer be prosecuted. “From now on, Verkehrsbetrieb Potsdam GmbH will refrain from filing criminal charges for repeated driving without a ticket,” a spokesman for the municipal utility company said. This was preceded by a decision by the Potsdam City Council, in which the mayor was asked to instruct the transport companies to refrain from filing such criminal charges in the future.
Fare evasion will continue to be punished, however: if you travel without a valid ticket, an increased transport fee of 60 euros will still be charged in the future, the spokesman said. According to the transport company, only a few cases of fare evasion had been reported in Potsdam in the past.