I am going to try and write more little entries about daily life in Germany, because I figure that there's a bunch of things that I see as normal that other people probably don't know about. Also this blog is severely lacking in entries for June, sad.
In Germany, all the buses, trams, and trains run on an honor system. This means that you have to buy your ticket before you get on the public transportation, but nowhere do you have to put your card into a machine in order to enter (like on the T in Boston), and it's usually not checked. I read somewhere (ie. Wikipedia) that the public transportation is checked only about 25% of the time.
When you're riding some sort of public transportation without a ticket, you're known as a Schwarzfahrer (black rider). Ticket checks are random and absolutely terrifying. Tonight I got checked on the tram for just the second time since I've gotten here in March (I ride on the tram about 6 times a day; I seriously never get checked). A group of 3-4 men will get on the tram at a random stop dressed in plain clothes. They wait a few seconds until the tram is moving, and then pull out their badges and ask everyone to present their tickets. If you are caught without a ticket, you're forcefully removed at the next stop and have to pay a 40 Euro fine. I'm not sure how many people ride the trams daily as a Schwarzfahrer, but the fear of ever getting caught without a ticket is enough for me to never ever attempt it.
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