Proof-of-payment

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Image:Validateticket.agr.jpg Proof-of-payment or POP is a fare collection approach used on many public transportation systems. Instead of checking each passenger as they enter a fare control zone, proof-of-payment requires that each passenger carry a ticket or pass proving that they have paid the fare. Ticket controller or conductors make periodic checks to deter fare evasion. On many systems, a passenger can purchase a single use ticket or multi-use pass at any time in advance, but must insert the ticket or pass into a validation machine before use. Validation machines in stations or on board vehicles time stamp the ticket. The ticket is then valid for some period of time after the stamped time.

Advantages of proof-of-payment include lower labor costs for fare collection, simpler station design and a more open feel for passengers. Validated tickets can double as transfers between lines. Disadvantages include potentially higher rate of fare evasion, reduced security on station platforms when no barrier is used, and regularly exposing passengers to unpleasant confrontational situations when a rider without the proper proof is caught. Visitors unfamiliar with a system's validation requirements who innocently misunderstand the rules are especially likely to get into trouble.

Proof-of-payment is popular in Canada, Eastern Europe and Germany and has made some inroads in the United States. Some urban mass transit systems in the U.S. have gone the other way, however, and are installing fare barriers that are harder to evade^{[verification needed]}.