Two statements above made me laugh out loud

"Did you conduct any travel research on "how to purchase tickets on Vienna subway?" before you traveled?"

and

"European tourists in the USA have landed in jail for much lesser mistakes (like making an innocent joke at an airport security check)."

While I'm all for doing lots of research in advance, I think it's a bit unrealistic to expect someone to have watched videos or read about something typically as straight forward as purchasing subway tickets. I've also heard of stories of this issue in Austria. Someone needs to help them update their pictographs it appears.

And the statement that actually purchasing a ticket (but accidentally getting the wrong one) is worse than joking about a bomb in an airport security line is so absurd it's ridiculous.

Really, this is hardly rocket science. A very basic net search produces this as the first hit:

https://www.wien.gv.at/english/trans...lic-transport/

In English. Tells you how to validate your ticket. Duh.

Two years ago, on our third trip to Europe, we travelled to Italy, Switzerland and Denmark. We used all manners of public transportation but mostly by train. We did a lot of research on how to ride the trains, vaporetto in Venice, city buses, etc. -- we made a conscious effort to follow the rules. Our best efforts failed us on our way from Milan to Varenna - we forgot to validate our tickets! The inspector informed us of our mistake, scribbled the date on the ticket, initialed it, and wished us a good day! Whew! Was it our lucky day?

Honestly, how many people read are going to read how to buy a freakin' train or bus ticket.

I have taken over 15,000 rides on the NY subway and have ridden the subways in many our states and countries. And I have been to Barcelona a number of times, but the last time I was there I forgot the slot for the ticket to enter the Metro is on the left, while the rest of the world is on the right. A Catalan showed me how to do it because I was holding up the line.

In NYC if you ask someone for directions to Greenwich, they will send you to a tony town in CT. Greenwich Village or the Village is not the proper way to say it but the custom and practice. How is someone visiting supposed to know that?

A few weeks ago I walked past a Bankomat that was emitting the sound when cash is being dispensed; I looked over and €120 was still in the dispensary. My first thought was someone who didn't take the time to learn that machines in Europe return the card before the cash is dispensed likely thought their transaction had not been processed, and left the machine. I attempted to return the cash to the adjacent bank, but the clerk informed me that they had no way of checking the transaction as it had come from an out-of-network bank, so I gave the money to charity.

So..."Honestly, how many people read are going to read how to buy a freakin' train or bus ticket."

Those who wish to not to waste €100 (or €120), perhaps? ;)

<i>And the statement that actually purchasing a ticket (but accidentally getting the wrong one) is worse than joking about a bomb in an airport security line is so absurd it's ridiculous.</i>

Very easy to do on the S-Bahn in Berlin. One can purchase a standard ticket or a short ride ticket; the latter cheaper than the standard, but you need to know if your ride is short enough for that ticket and there is no transit map by the ticket machine. My recollection is that directions are all in German.

Imedone-

Greenwich Village is indeed the proper name of the area - I fear you misspoke. There is no area in Manhattan called "Greenwich" that is ONLY the suburb in CT (or a town in the UK).

And "the village' is the local version in NYC - but Greenwich Village will be understood .

As a New Yorker, you know we have different names for different things. We still call Ave. of the Americas, 6th Ave and no NY'er calls the subway the metro, although many call it the train.

I guess the Greenwich Village is the proper name but many new neighborhood names are the creation of the real estate lobby that includes going back to The East Village, Tribeca, SOHO, NOHO, NOMAD, Chelsea, and Clinton. The one name I lament losing the colorful Hell's Kitchen.

Ironically in NYC, people know what you are referring to when you say the more omnipresent word Village but are confused by the use of Greenwich.

The point remains that there is no way in hey, a visitor, except an experienced NY visitor, would know all these idiosyncratic New Yorkisms. And to penalize someone for not knowing is absurd. The only exceptions would the self-righteous scolds here who blame others for not winning Jeopardy.

New video - Hillary struggles with subway card in NYC - I guess just like Bernie, she did not do her homework!

It has gotten better. I still swipe and it does not work at first. It was ridiculous the first few years. Bernie left Brooklyn in 1968 when the subway was a nickel and Metrocards weren't even a glimmer in the eye of the Board of the MTA.

When you check the endless list of possible fines for misbehaving on New York's MTA, the Vienna U-Bahn guys can still learn something about how to worship rules.

You get a $50 fine not only for littering (which is quite reasonable, IMO), but also for unauthorized trash <b>removal</b> LOL

It gets a bit kafkaesque when you get fined $50 for "unnecessary noise" but only $25 for "excessive noise".
And I wonder who gets to decide which noise is in which category. Is there an MTA Noise Evaluation and Classification Committee? LOL

http://web.mta.info/nyct/rules/Trans...reau/rules.htm

Cruz will have to take lines F and U on the New York subway The Daily News says in their headline- hope he knows how to transfer.

Gulp! This thread reminds me of the time I made a free right turn on a red light somewhere in Germany.

That's legal in the U.S., but I realized later that it's not legal in Germany.

Oy…wonder if the OP is reading. 100 euros sounds like a lot to me for an innocent mistake, but that's life. I just hope I never have to go to Singapore.-:)

Peg.. it can be legal when you have a green arrow at the traffic lights - like this:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...Cner_Pfeil.jpg

Otherwise it would have cost you €200. And two penalty points. And one month suspension of your drivers license (not on the spot, though).

When you check the endless list of possible fines for misbehaving on New York's MTA, the Vienna U-Bahn guys can still learn something about how to worship rules.
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Maybe that is why we get 60 million visitors and you get 20.

The only place you will the words worship and rules in the sentence in NYC is in a place of worship.
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In NYC if you ask someone for directions to Greenwich, they will send you to a tony town in CT.>

Oh gods, are we on this again? Only the densest Manhattanite would sincerely give you directions to Connecticut.
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This shows just a nasty prejudice and a total lack of knowledge of New York. Do you live anywhere near NY? Stick to things to you know about, like making irrelevant and nasty comments because you rarely offer travel advice.

LOL.. you're really done there with your sense of humor, I guess.

But your list of subway rules and regulations is really looooong.

And - shocking news - you charge more or less the exact same amount for riding without a valid ticket ($100) in NYC as does Vienna.

Therefore I foresee for both Vienna as well as New York City a massive decline in foreign visitors - unless both cities officially declare to waive their respective penalty fares for foreign tourists.

And we should be allowed to drink in parks.
And smoke in bars.
And swim naked (well, that's negotiable).
I demand it.
I'm a tourist who spends money.

There is a very long list of things you are not supposed to do on the subway. Most are not enforced. On a more serious note, they are really cracking down on guys who grope women. That is not a fine, that is jail.

I do not know about declining tourism. In 2002, we had just a little over 35 million visitors. Last year close to 60 million and over 12 million were foreigners. They are building hotels all over the place. Unless there is a world recession, I do not see tourism dropping.

So I M - would a New Yok subway cop give some naive European tourists a break - especially if they had bought a ticket albeit the wrong one? This must happen tons of time with tourists?

I would hope not and just charge them for the right ticket if they think they are true tourists not in the know - but I guess any ferriner should have Googled NY Subway system and digested all the rules and types of tickets and those dictionary of rules-- of course they should have done that but...

We probably have more undercover cops on the trains than uniforms. They are really good and hard to spot. They no longer have the color of the day as the crooks caught on. Unless someone is doing something suspicious, they probably would not fine someone for minor offenses.

I do not know the rules for cops to appear to testify for summons, but I am sure the precinct sergeant would not be happy taking someone off the street for a $100 fine. I know cops who worked their way through the ranks to be come captains and looies, and it is just a waste of personnel time.