Public transport: tickets, passes and fines
Both cities let you tap a bank card or use an app instead of hunting for paper tickets, and a yearly pass pays off quickly if you ride most days.
City transport in Czechia is cheap by EU standards and runs late into the night. Inspectors are in plain clothes and show a badge. If you hold an electronic pass, the inspector checks the card, app or ID you registered it to, so always carry that with you.
If you plan to ride most days, a yearly pass is usually the cheapest option after about seven months of monthly passes. Passes are personal unless you buy the more expensive transferable version.
In Brno
Brno transport is run by DPMB inside the regional IDS JMK system. Inside the city you need zones 100 and 101.
The simplest way to pay is contactless: tap a bank card, phone or watch on the yellow reader when you get on, and again each time you change vehicles. You are charged a 60-minute ticket, a short trip costs less if you check out, and the total never goes over 90 Kč a day. If an inspector checks you, show the same card.
Other options are the Sejf app (in English), SMS tickets if you have a Czech number, and paper tickets from machines and newsagents.
The šalinkarta is Brno's travel pass. You can buy it online through the BrnoID e-shop and tie it to your bank card, or get a plastic card in person with ID and a passport-size photo. Monthly, quarterly and yearly versions exist.
If you have paid this year's Brno waste fee, you can claim 1,450 Kč back on a full-price yearly pass through your BrnoID account within 60 days of buying it. Students, seniors and people with disability discounts are excluded because they already get a reduced fare.
Forgot your pass at home? Bring it to the DPMB office within five working days and pay a small handling fee instead of the full fine.
In Prague
Prague transport is part of PID. Prices changed on 1 January 2026. Single tickets went up, but city passes stayed the same, and tickets bought in the PID Lítačka app are cheaper than paper or SMS.
On trams, buses and trolleybuses there is a terminal on board that takes contactless cards only (middle door on trams, second door on buses). Touchscreen machines at stops and in the metro also take cards. Paper tickets must be stamped once when you first board; app tickets become valid one minute after you activate them.
For a pass you need a Lítačka account. You can load the pass onto the app, a plastic Lítačka card, or your own bank card. A paper pass with a photo is also still available at information centres.
The yearly Prague pass costs 3,650 Kč, which works out at roughly 10 Kč a day. A transferable yearly pass is 7,800 Kč.
Step by step
- First days: tap your bank card in the vehicle (both cities) or install the app (Sejf in Brno, PID Lítačka in Prague).
- Once you know you will stay: buy a monthly or yearly pass online (BrnoID e-shop in Brno, Lítačka account in Prague).
- Brno: after paying the waste fee, claim the 1,450 Kč yearly pass discount in BrnoID within 60 days.
- Always carry the card, phone or ID your pass is tied to.
- If you get a fine, paying on the spot is cheapest.
Last checked 2026-11-09. Open this guide in the app to add the dates to your calendar.