Is the ban on food in public transport correct? In Vienna, there is now a fine of 50 euros, Prague has been punishing for years
From 15 January onwards, all lines on the Vienna underground will be subject to an absolute ban on food consumption. The aim of the measure is to prevent odors and reduce cleaning costs. The ban has proved its worth on one of the main U6 lines, where it has been in force since 1 September. For Prague residents, the ban on food and drink is not a novelty in the entire city’s public transport – it has been in place in the metropolis for decades, and fines for violating it are usually imposed.
From June next year, violating the ban on eating and drinking in the Vienna subway should result in a fine of up to 50 euros (approximately 1,300 crowns). At first, however, the company will only reprimand the offender. “Our staff will monitor this and also issue harsh reprimands,” Ulli Sima, a spokeswoman for Vienna’s transport councilor, told Österreich.
The transport company demanded that the ban on the U6 line worked very well even without sanctions. “Ninety percent of passengers comply,” the company said. In the spring, the company is to evaluate how the extension of the measures to the entire metro has proved successful.
The control of the ban will require an increase in the number of security guards in the subway from the current 60 to 80 by the end of this year and to 120 by the end of next year.
We’re not going on with the cake
The general provisions on the prohibition of eating and drinking in transport areas have been enshrined in Prague’s contractual transport conditions since 1994. Prague’s integrated transport includes not only metro, trams and buses, but also trolleybuses, cable cars and vessels.
“Consumption of food and beverages is a violation of the Contractual Conditions of Carriage; a fine may be imposed if the passenger continues to do so despite the warning,” the spokesperson said. Prague transport company Aneta Rehkova. At present, the fine will reach 400 crowns and it is not possible to agree on its reduction even when paying on the spot.
History of the ban on food and drink in Prague’s public transport:
- From July 1, 1964, the so-called City Transport Regulations came into force. He said he did not address whether it is forbidden or allowed to eat in a public transport vehicle. He only stated that the passenger must refrain from anything that could endanger safety and smoothness, or that could cause damage to the carrier or passengers. The official interpretation states that a typical act that can cause harm to fellow passengers is “putting ice cream and liquid food in the vehicle, especially by children”.
- The Ministry of the Interior was amended and was repealed only in 2000 by a new regulation, Decree of the Ministry of Transport and Communications No. 175/2000 Coll., On the Transport Regulations for Public Rail and Road Passenger Transport. This PR formulates prohibitions again only in a general level.
- Legislatively, the concept of SPP (contractual conditions of carriage) has been enshrined since 1994, and the ban on consumption and drinking has been in force since then.
- However, the decree did not enter into force until 2000, only then did the old MPŘ from 1964, which was amended again, cease to apply. But even in the latest version, nothing extra.
Source: DPP Prague
The Prague transport company does not keep statistics on how many “sinners” are fined per year for snacks in public transport. However, Řehková adds that in most cases, only payments apply to passengers.
He can reprimand the transport inspector, but also the driver of the means of transport, for violating the transport conditions – and possibly exclude them from the transport.
Passengers on Prague’s public transport thus witness aggravated situations from time to time. “The tram still didn’t start from the stop, and it became strange for the passengers to see what was going on. Suddenly the driver opened his door and called out to the people, ‘Sir, hide the food or get out, or we won’t go any further.” The surprised man, holding a piece of cake in his hand, first looked around in confusion to confirm that the words were addressed to him. Then he started to protest why his bites should bother driving safely, but from the relentless driving features he soon realized that there is no exception to the transport regulations this time, “he describes his experience to the Aktuálně.cz reader, who did not want to name it.
The question thus remains whether the ban on food is not a thing of the past and thus does not serve to make traffic unpleasant rather than clean.
Food belongs to trains
For example Czech Railways they are definitely not so good when eating food and trains, although they may not like some of their fellow passengers in a pile of fragrant steaks. However, they are not going to restrict passengers.
“On the contrary, we are expanding the services in the area of refreshments on our trains, we provide refreshments for passengers (minibars), we have restaurant and bistro cars on trains and in modern InterPanter units, for example, vending machines,” adds Czech Railways spokesman Petr Štáhlavský.