Fare dodgers beware: a Tallinn resident known only as Nikolai has had his house confiscated and put up for sale by bailiffs for failing to pay any of the 26 fines issued to him between 2005 and 2007.The inveterate 'rabbit', as fare evaders are affectionately known in Estonia, owed ticket inspectors the princely sum of 16,140 kroons (about $1700) when evicted from his home, having also failed to contribute to the coffers of a myriad other wrist-slapping agencies the length and breadth of the capital.
Nikolai's story is not unique. In August alone ticket inspectors issued 5020 fines on buses, trams and trolleys throughout the city, with the City Hall piggy bank benefitting to the tune of 2.1 million kroons. These figures do not necessarily bear any resemblance to the number of people actually caught dodging, however: the top ten recidivists in 2007 to date account for almost 200 of the fines that have been handed out. The likes of 21-year-old Arlis, who leads the way on 29, had better watch out: if Nikolai loses his house for 26, Arlis might wake up one morning without a roof over his head and wondering what happened to his left kidney.
2 comments:
Nothing feels better than to have an up-to-date trolley ticket when the inspector comes by while the person next to you doesn't. Watching that person get fined and forced to exit the trolley is one of life's greatest pleasures. I can only imagine how terrific it must feel to watch your neighbor being evicted for trolley fines!
Oh, Donna, you're such a stirrer. :)
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