Fala system is a new feature in the Pomorskie region. Although it is a part of the transportation system in Gdansk, I feel that it deserves a separate article. Its development has been delayed for a couple of years, and although it may be used at last, it is still not a reliable payment system. It was also meant to make the transport system easier, but so far, it became even more complicated.
What is Fala System
The FALA system is a tool for planning journeys and paying for fares on public transport in the Pomeranian Voivodeship. The FALA system allows tickets for public transport and rail transport to be purchased on a regional scale. According to officials, it is the first system of its kind in Poland. It operates according to the ‘get on and go’ principle. The passenger does not need to know the ticket prices, the more than 100 fares or the several hundred concessions available in the Pomeranian region.
It covers rail transport routes (agglomeration and regional trains, i.e. POLREGIO and PKP SKM trains in the Tricity) and public transport routes organised by the following cities: Gdansk, Gdynia, Slupsk, Wladyslawowo, Chojnice, Lebork, Puck, as well as Wejherowo. Thanks to FALA System, fares from different carriers and transport organisers can be paid via one System. To benefit from all the facilities offered by FALA, the passenger is required to create an account. This makes it possible to automate a large part of the processes involved in selecting the appropriate fare (using concessions, the most favourable price options, etc.). The System will create a database containing, among other things, passenger accounts, information on ticket prices, train, bus, tram and trolleybus routes and their timetables. The system allows passengers to be billed for journeys on a given route based on their identification in various public transport vehicles.
How Fala System works
Falomat and reader
There are two types of devices: Falomat and Reader

Falomat
FALOMATS, or touchscreen devices, are usually located in the wheelchair space – halfway along the length of the vehicle – and will primarily enable:
Entry registration/automatic ticket purchase
By bringing the FALA Card or payment card close to the device. If the passenger has concessions assigned to the FALA Account, these will be taken into account. The ticket price is in accordance with the price list in force in the relevant city.
Automatic ticket purchase can also be done by scanning the QR code from the app (available in the upper left corner, after clicking on the photo). This QR code is also one of the identifiers in the FALA System, just like the FALA Card or the payment card assigned to your FALA account. The QR code scanner is accessible from the underside of the READERS and FALOMATS (on the right side of the device).
Purchase any ticket of your choice using a touchscreen:
- FALA account holders can buy a ticket with the FALA Card by paying with ePortmoney via the “Buy ticket with FALA account” button, if they want to pay for the ticket with a payment card they have to use the “Buy ticket with payment card” button.
- those without a FALA account can buy a ticket by paying with a payment card, via the “Buy ticket with payment card” button.
Checking the funds available in your eWallet or tickets held (via the “Your FALA Account” button)
In all cases, passengers purchase an e-ticket, which does not print out in the FALA and no confirmation of the purchase is generated. This means that the ticket is assigned to the FALA account held or to the payment card used to make the purchase. Information about the transactions made will be recorded in the customer’s payment history (on the systemfala.pl portal and in the app).
Readers
READERS are usually located at each door of the vehicle and will enable the registration of the entrance/automatic purchase of a ticket. You can do it by bringing the FALA Card or payment card close to the passenger or by scanning the QR code from the app (available in the upper left corner, after clicking on the passenger’s photo). This is equivalent to purchasing a ticket (if the passenger has concessions assigned to the FALA Account, these will be taken into account). The ticket price is in accordance with the price list applicable in the city.
Fala application (Android and MacOS)
On the app, passengers can, among other things, purchase tickets for themselves and family members or friends, view their travel and payment history, check the timetable, the status of their credit account. Right now the reviews are critical, and the App is rated below 2, which gives some view on the quality of the App and Fala System itself
What does ticket control look like in the FALA System?
During the ticket inspection, the Passenger should bring to the ticket inspector’s device the ID with which he/she purchased the ticket, e.g. a FALA card, a bank card – assigned as an ID in the FALA System, a watch supporting contactless payments, a smartphone (with Google Pay or Apple Pay), a smartphone with the FALA application (displaying the QR code from the application available in the top left corner or the QR code of the ticket purchased – available in the Your tickets tab). The control device will then display information, the type of ticket that was purchased and the concessions assigned to the account.
For tickets purchased with a payment card not assigned to a FALA account, the reading of the fare entitlement is carried out by the controller in exactly the same way. Importantly, the controller’s device does not download any data from the card, and the controller has no access to the data on the payment card being controlled. The payment card is only the transaction identifier and the card data is automatically encrypted. The controller, when reading the card, only receives information on whether the passenger has a valid ticket assigned to the payment card used to make the purchase.
My recommendation
Would I use Fala system? The answer is NO. Not yet. It is still in the early stage, not all the features are working and it’s simply not reliable. It did cost a lot of money to develop, but the truth it is simply to late. Most of the features (planning, ticket purchase)are now available in other Apps. The most popular are still Jakdojade and Skycash, and I would use one of them.