How to travel by public transport in the Tri-City with FALA?

Simply use your contactless card. In every vehicle, there are devices available that allow you to purchase electronic tickets.

Who is the FALA System for and what is its purpose?

The FALA System is a set of tools that make your travels by public transport in the Tricity more enjoyable and eco-friendly. With FALA, you don’t need to look for a kiosk or ticket machine to buy a ticket – the "kiosk" in the form of a device called a falomat can be found in every vehicle (bus, trolleybus, and tram) as well as on platforms and train stations.

We invite you to travel around the Tricity using the FALA System. With us, you can buy tickets quickly, conveniently, and easily.

What do the FALA System devices look like?

They are black-and-yellow devices with the logo of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. In every vehicle, there are as many card readers as there are entrance doors.

FALOMATS –Approximately in the middle of the vehicle, you will find a falomat, which is the FALA System ticket machine. On the touch screen, select the tickets you want to purchase. Only through this device can you buy multiple tickets in the vehicle, including reduced-fare tickets. Confirm the transaction and pay by holding your contactless card near the payment terminal located at the bottom of the falomat. The entire operation is recorded in the FALA System, and in case of a ticket inspection, you only need to present the card used for the purchase to the inspector’s device.

READERS – Another option is the automatic purchase of a ticket by holding your payment card near one of the readers, which are smaller devices installed near the vehicle doors. Each passenger using this option will automatically purchase a single full-fare ticket. Only the start of the journey (check-in) needs to be signaled, without the need to signal the end (check-out). Holding your card near the reader is equivalent to purchasing a ticket, which will be confirmed by a message on the screen: "Journey started.".

How to buy 1 ticket?

By holding your card near a reader or falomat once, you will purchase a single one-way ticket for 4.80 PLN in the Tricity. The information about the purchased ticket will appear as a message on the reader: "Journey started."

How to buy more tickets, or a reduced-fare ticket?

If you want to buy multiple tickets or a single ticket with a discount, use the falomat. Simply select the specific types of tickets on the falomat touch screen and hold your contactless card near the device once. The information about the purchased ticket will appear as a message on the falomat: "Transaction accepted. Have a good journey."

IMPORTANT! The ticket charge will appear on your bank account no earlier than the next day. This is because the System first calculates all transactions from a given day, and then they are sent to the bank for settlement. Depending on the bank, the time it takes for the ticket charge to appear on your account can range from one to several days.

A single ticket entitles you to travel on one bus/trolleybus/tram from the date and time of validation (for paper tickets) or purchase (for electronic tickets) until the passenger leaves the vehicle.

What do you need to remember when travelling with a FALA system pay card?

1. After purchasing a ticket with a payment card via a falomat or reader (FALA System devices), the ticket charge will appear on your bank account no earlier than the next day.

2. When purchasing a ticket with a payment card, a pre-authorization fee may be charged, which will be refunded to your account.

3. During an inspection, you must hold the card used to purchase the ticket near the inspector’s device. The card generates a unique number called a token, which allows the inspector to check if a ticket was purchased with that card. The inspector does not have access to any data on your card.

4. Holding your card near a reader or falomat automatically purchases one full-fare ticket for one journey. Holding your card multiple times after entering the vehicle does not result in the purchase of multiple tickets.

5. To purchase multiple tickets or a discounted ticket, use the falomat (the device located in the middle of the vehicle) and select the specific types of tickets on the touch screen.

What is the pre-authorisation fee, and is it paid back to the client?

When paying for a ticket with a contactless card at a falomat or reader, the passenger may encounter a pre-authorization fee, usually 1 PLN, but it may also be a different amount depending on your bank.

This is a temporary hold on funds in the customer’s account, serving as a security measure for the transaction, and it usually happens only once.

There is no need to worry, as the funds are always returned to the customer’s account after card verification.

The time it takes for the funds to be refunded varies depending on the bank, and the FALA System has no influence over this process.

How are tickets bought with a pay card inspected?

Ticket inspectors are equipped with special inspection devices.  During the inspection the device will show the tickets bought with and linked to the specific pay card once the card is placed against the device.

Important: the inspector’s device will not download any card data, nor will the inspector have access to the data the inspected card contains.  The pay card serves solely as a transaction identifier and the card data are automatically encrypted.  The only information the inspector obtains when reading the card is whether the passenger is in possession of a valid ticket linked to the pay card used to make the purchase.

How will the FALA system know that the passenger has used a pay card to pay for the journey?

The information on the payments made is recorded in the system which links the payment to the so-called card token, i.e. a special code which secures the transaction.  The security of the transaction is ensured by the payment operator in compliance with international standards.

All pay transactions made by the users in the FALA system will be processed via the payment operator certified by the Financial Supervision Authority.  The PCI DSS certification is the standard employed by payment institutions to secure all financial transactions and operations.

How to get help in the FALA system?

Tourist, if you are traveling without creating an account in our system (i.e., paying with a payment card), you can submit complaints or technical issues by calling us:

• at +48 585 733 585 (Polish, English).

• or via the complaint form available at: https://reklamacje.systemfala.pl