Pro tip: check if your 'free' bus pass still works before you get on

Got to Prague last fall and dug out an old city transport pass from a trip five years back. Figured I'd try it, and the scanner gave a green light, so I rode for free for two whole days. On the third morning, a ticket checker fined me 800 Czech koruna because the pass was long expired and the scanner was just broken. Has anyone else had a 'hack' totally backfire because of old or broken tech?

3 comments

3 Comments

jade5401mo agoMost Upvoted

My buddy tried a similar thing with an old gym key fob (the kind for 24-hour access). It still unlocked the door for months after his membership ended, so he kept using it. Turns out the system just logged every entry and sent him a massive bill for all those months, plus a fee for the "fraud". He argued it was their broken reader, but they didn't care at all.

jake_owens1mo ago

Sounds like something I'd fall for too.

grant.sam1mo ago

That gym story is the perfect example of how these systems are just waiting to catch up. They let you think you're getting away with it while quietly keeping score in the background. Makes you wonder if the Prague bus scanner was actually broken or just set to collect fines. Modern tech seems less about stopping you and more about building a case for later.