The way you ride Prague suburban buses is changing: Everything you need to know

Starting this Friday, Aug. 1, getting on a suburban bus in Prague and Central Bohemia will look a little different. Whether you’re heading to work, school, or visiting family with a Prague Integrated Transport (PID) bus, you’ll need to pay attention – a new boarding system is launching on 112 suburban and night bus lines, and it’s not just a small tweak.

Transport officials say the goal is to speed things up and make your ride more comfortable. But there’s a catch: the new rules come with stricter expectations. Here’s what’s changing and how it will affect your daily commute.

Until now, everyone boarded through the front door. That’s about to change. From Friday onward, if you already have a valid ticket, you can hop on through any door. No more queuing at the front – just get on and find your seat.

But don’t toss your travel habits out the window just yet. If you don’t have a ticket in hand (or on your phone), you’ll still need to use the front door to buy one from the driver, PID explains.

To make life easier, transport authorities recommend using the PID Lítačka mobile app. It can suggest the best ticket based on your route and prepaid zones, and even fill in your ticket details automatically. 

Starting Aug. 1, drivers will no longer be responsible for checking whether every passenger has a valid ticket. That responsibility is shifting to you, along with a growing team of inspectors.

Fare inspectors will be more visible on these routes, keeping an eye out for freeloaders. Officials are ramping up hiring efforts, offering up to CZK  75,000 per month to attract qualified candidates, a move that shows how serious they are about enforcement.

If you’re caught without a valid ticket, expect consequences. The fine remains CZK 1,500 on the spot. But if you delay payment and try to settle within 15 days, the price goes up to CZK CZK 2,000. Miss that deadline, and you’ll be paying CZK 2,500, with the amount accruing thereafter due to interest.

This isn’t a forever change – at least not yet. The new system is in a trial phase through the end of 2026. If all goes well, it could become permanent or even expand to more lines. But if passengers ignore the rules or fare evasion spikes, the system could be scrapped altogether.

“We may be forced to reconsider the entire system and return to the less comfortable front-door boarding mode,” a Central Bohemia councillor told PID.