Photo: Ana Paunković/FoNetWhen you buy a ticket via SMS, it will be a few dinars more expensive, depending on who your operator is. The problem is that it is not indicated anywhere, and it should be, because it is prescribed by law
At the presentation of the new system and method of payment, even the mayor Aleksandar Šapić could not explain exactly how much a ticket for city transport in Belgrade costs.
Tickets can now be purchased by sending an SMS message to the number 9011. For a ticket valid for 90 minutes, message A9011 is sent to number 90, for a day ticket message A1, and for a monthly ticket A30. If it is a B zone, then the letter B is written instead of the letter A.
Šapić presented the new system as an almost revolutionary solution. Soon there will be an application, sales points where you can buy a paper ticket are still rare, so citizens are left with SMS.
When he was asked for an explanation as to whether a 90-minute ride costs 50 dinars and when a ticket is purchased via SMS, the mayor had to ask for the help of an associate at the press conference. But even then, it will turn out, he did not give the correct answer.
"What are you talking about, excuse me, how much percentage goes to the operators based on the price - 5 or 2,5 percent?" Please? Five percent goes to the operators, which means 50 dinars goes to the city plus five percent to the operators, that's how much - 50 and two and a half dinars will cost a ticket of 50 dinars," Šapić explained.
Not only does the five percent not go, but the operators do not charge for that service based on a percentage of the ticket price at all. In that case, for example, those who would buy a monthly ticket of 2.200 dinars via SMS would pay an additional 110 dinars.
What do the operators say?
Portal "Vremena" contacted the three largest mobile operators in Serbia: MTS, A1 and Yettel and asked them how much they charge for the service when their users buy a public transport ticket via SMS to 9011.
In MTS, that is, Telekom Serbia, we were told that they charge only the basic price of SMS messages according to their tariff and it amounts to 3,6 dinars, as well as that this price does not depend on the package that the user has. SMS messages for buying tickets are not included in the free messages within the package because they are part of the service of additional value and are charged to everyone.
A1 gave us the following answer: "Regarding the price of sending an SMS message, if users have an unlimited number of SMS messages within their tariff packages, the SMS service is not charged." In other cases, the valid SMS message price of RSD 3,48 is charged. For example, if the ticket price is 50 dinars, the user is charged 53,48 dinars."
They also add that the new payment service works according to the same principle as mParking. "Number 9011 is intended, with ticket prices from 50 dinars to 3.300 dinars. For postpaid users, the payment is made through a monthly bill increased by the amount of the ticket price, while for prepaid users, the amount of the ticket price will be deducted from the credit."
Yettel states that the price of the service for the end user consists of the price of the purchased ticket plus the price of the SMS. "The price of SMS is fixed, it is 4,9 dinars including VAT for Yettel users. Postpaid users pay for this service through a monthly bill, and prepaid users by reducing the credit from the account."
Violation of the law
According to the law, the merchant is obliged to highlight the selling price of the goods/services in a clear, unmistakable, easily visible and legible manner, and in this case the merchant is the City of Belgrade and its companies. The service is a public transport ride, and those who use it and buy a ticket are customers.
The message that arrives after you buy the ticket via SMS says: "In Belgrade, for the phone number 3816XXXXXXX, you bought a 90-MINUTE TIME TICKET IN ZONE A at a price of 50 dinars + the basic price of the message, which is valid until 17.05.2023 13:00 :22. Ticket number: 6649. By paying the operator, you settle the debts for this ticket according to PUC Collection of transport services Belgrade. Save this message."
Nowhere is it stated what the total price of the ticket is. Also, neither in the price list that was published, nor on the website of PUK "Transport Service Charges" is there any indication that the price of the ticket will be increased when you buy it via SMS.
Some will say "well, that's just a few dinars", and some "that's arrogance and disrespect of the citizens".
Read daily news, analysis, commentary and interviews at www.vreme.com
Extraordinary parliamentary elections are held on Sunday, October 25. 6.451.292 voters have the right to vote, and voting will take place at 8.392 polling stations. Election silence lasts until the polling stations close at 20 p.m
Publicist Dejan Lucic was arrested on suspicion of causing panic and riots with claims about election day, the prosecution announced.
Can a list with 45 percent of votes get a majority in the Assembly? It can. The key is in the census and the distribution of mandates. Here's how it works in Serbia
About 90 activists and translators from Hungary and Vojvodina plan to monitor the elections in Serbia. Organization DE! Akcióközösség relies on mobile teams, recording events on the ground and quickly publishing information about developments
The members of the Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists demand an immediate reaction from the Republican Election Commission due to the denial of access to journalists in Pančevo and Vranje and demand the responsibility of those who prevent them from monitoring the work of the election commissions.
There is, literally, no difference between the one who claims it is day in the middle of the night, or the one who claims to be a giraffe, from the claims we read on billboards: that Vučić is working to unify Serbs and that Serbia is doing better and better day by day.
The pre-election arrests due to the alleged "overthrow of the state" testify to the regime's panic. The bad news for them is - they can't arrest the whole people who decided to defend themselves from progressive beatings and election theft
The ring that tightens around Ćaciland Student list is getting narrower. Because there are more and more spoiled people who see the false prophet for what he is: a street obscener who is fighting Serbia
The archive of the weekly Vreme includes all our digital editions, since the very beginning of our work. All issues can be downloaded in PDF format, by purchasing the digital edition, or you can read all available texts from the selected issue.
See all
A time ticket that lasts 90 minutes will cost 50 dinars in A and B zones, and 100 dinars for C zone, which combines these two. The new system starts from Wednesday
The company Kentkart announced that validators for reading tickets for public city transport were removed last weekend without the company's knowledge and before the expiration of the 30-day notice period prescribed by the contract.
