Ticket inspector seizes bank card from mother over unpaid Moscow tram fare
In northwest Moscow, a ticket inspector took a bank card from a woman with two children. The mother accused the inspector of looking at the card«s data and not returning it. The video has garnered over 5 million views.
Scandal draws millions of views
It all happened on December 9 on tram number 6 near Skhodnenskaya metro station. Anna was taking her son (age five) and daughter (1 year and 4 months) to the clinic. After that, they boarded the tram.
«My child is small and fussy because it was already nap time. Naturally, when we were getting on, I was dealing with two children: holding the little one in my arms with the stroller, I need to give my older son a hand, get them settled when the tram starts,» Anna explained to MSK1.RU.
Anna handed her bank card to the inspector. While handing it over, she remembered that she hadn«t paid the fare. The woman said she was ready to pay, but a conflict still erupted.
«She said in a very harsh tone: «It»s too late! You won«t ride for free!». Loudly, using informal «you», as if I«ve been riding for free for a long time, and she finally caught me red-handed,» the passenger noted in a conversation with MSK1.RU.
What happened next is already visible in the video. The bank card remained in the inspector«s hands.
«I say: «Let me pay,» but she replies that it«s too late, that she»s already called the police,» Anna told MSK1.RU. «I demand that she return my card, she first held it in her hands, then turned it over in front of me, saw the three-digit code on the other side. Only then did she put it in her pocket.»
As the conflict unfolded, the tram passed one stop. The inspector responded that she wouldn«t return the card until the police arrived. After that, everyone got off on the street.
The conflict, as the passenger claims, was resolved quite simply. In the end, no report was filed.
«I had already decided that I essentially didn«t need the card anymore. The main thing was just to take the children and leave from there. I started to leave, and she gave me the card, shouting something else about some punishment,» the woman said indignantly.
According to Anna, her younger daughter started having a runny nose after this, and her five-year-old son woke up from nightmares where someone was hurting his mom. The woman filed a complaint with the prosecutor«s office because she wasn»t allowed to pay the fare properly, her bank card wasn«t returned, and it created a health threat to the children.
The video of the conflict has gained 5.5 million views and 72.5 thousand likes on one of the social networks.
What the inspectors responded
The press service of the State Public Institution «Transport Organizer» explained to MSK1.RU that the passenger did not pay the fare and violated clauses 4.3 and 5.1 of the Rules for Travel on Ground Public Transport. They also reminded that travel is free for children under seven.
«We remind you that fare payment must be made strictly upon entering the vehicle. If a passenger presents a bank card or other travel document without confirmation of payment, information about it is recorded in the administrative material. After the procedure is completed, the document is returned to the owner,» the department responded to MSK1.RU«s inquiry.
As a rule, inspectors issue reports on their own, for which passport data is needed. Calling the police may be required, among other things, to confirm a person«s identity.
Today it became known that in central Moscow, passengers more often pay the fare correctly: we tell you where there are the most violators. And in the fall, a fare dodger attacked inspectors: the moment was caught on video, and the violator faces up to 10 years in prison.
