Munich Man Falsely Accused of Fare Evasion Due to Faulty Ticket Machine
Munich, February 22, 2026 – A resident of Munich found himself in an unexpected predicament when he was mistakenly accused of fare evasion due to a malfunctioning ticket validation machine. Michael Krähmüller’s stripe ticket showed an incorrect validation time, leading to a confrontation with a ticket inspector and a subsequent struggle to prove his innocence.
The incident occurred on the evening of January 8th, when Krähmüller was returning home from an event. He validated his stripe ticket at a machine at Großhadern U-Bahn station around 10:30 PM. Unbeknownst to him, the machine stamped his ticket with a time of 8:20 PM, two hours earlier than the actual validation. Later, during a control on his S-Bahn journey to Englschalking, he was informed by an inspector that his ticket had expired over two hours prior. “I was completely perplexed and assured him that I had only validated my ticket 30 minutes ago in Großhadern and had a witness for it,” Krähmüller stated.
A Frustrating Journey Through Customer Service
The following day, Krähmüller attempted to rectify the error at the customer service center at Marienplatz. He was, however, informed that they were not responsible and advised to contact the railway’s complaints department. He sent an email and received a response stating that no malfunction reports for the MVG (Munich Transport Company) had been filed at the specified time. He was then asked to provide proof of the MVG malfunction.
Upon further investigation by a local publication, both MVG and Deutsche Bahn (S-Bahn Munich) confirmed that they are separate transport companies and do not automatically exchange information regarding individual validator malfunctions. They stated, “During a ticket inspection, the inspection service cannot determine whether a technical defect was present at the time of validation. Therefore, a regular increased fare (EBE) is initially charged.”
Evidence of Malfunction and a “Goodwill” Gesture
On January 15th, Krähmüller returned to Großhadern and discovered that the very validator he had used now bore a “defective” sticker. He took photographs as evidence. Despite his efforts, which included sending an email to the complaints department with proof that he had left his event after 10:00 PM, the process was arduous. Krähmüller expressed his frustration, stating, “At the customer center at Marienplatz, I was coldly dismissed.” He had to independently find the complaints department and gather evidence to prove his innocence.
After inquiries were made by the publication to both transport companies, Krähmüller finally received a letter from the railway in early February. The letter stated: “We are canceling the increased fare notice out of goodwill.”
This incident highlights the challenges passengers can face when confronted with technical malfunctions in public transport systems and the bureaucratic hurdles involved in resolving such issues.
