Free MPK Travel for Car Owners – SMOG Alert

The SMOG levels have exceeded the level required to trigger Kraków’s free transport concession for car owners.

UPDATE – The free transport has been extended to midnight tonight (Thur 12th Jan)

The level of PM10 concentration recorded at measurement stations in Kraków exceeds  150 mg / m ³ – therefore the city and MPK have announced  free travel on public transport (including bus and tram) to passengers in possession of a car registration document

Importantly, the car registration document must be issued personally to the person or to a business and have a valid vehicle technical test, to qualify for this concession, this will  be checked during any control and inspection of tickets.  

Additional Passengers, up to  the number of seats specified in the vehicle registration document , travelling with the holder of the car registration document also travel free.

The service is valid in the area of the City of Krakow and in the neighbouring municipalities (which runs communication MPK), who joined the agreement to the joint implementation of public transport.

Free communication is introduced on 11 January 2017., At the time of 0: 00-24: 00.

The FAQ’s below have been translated from Polish and are available on the ZiKiT Page

Free communication – SMOG – FAQ

1. When is  free communication introduced?
Free public transport is introduced when three air monitoring stations averaged standard for PM10 exceed 150 mg / m3. Free rides will also be introduced, when one of the stations the concentration of PM10 exceed 200 mg / m3 or 300 mg / m3. Account will be taken of the results from the last day in the hour read 16-17. Free communication will be placed on all of the next day. With the free ticket will be able to use the person presenting the evidence of the registration of a passenger car with its accompanying persons – including the number according to the entry determines the number of seats in the car.

2. What if it turns out that on the day when they introduced free communication concentration of PM10 fall?
The decision to introduce free communication is taken based on the forecast of the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management and the calculation of the Regional Inspectorate for Environmental Protection in Krakow. Even if the forecast of exceeding the concentration is not confirmed, the decision to free communication remains in force.

3. Who will be able to benefit from free travel?
With free travel will be available for persons having valid registration of a passenger car with the current technical examination, irrespective of the place of issue.

4. Is the free communications will be able to use only a person entered in the registration as the owner of the vehicle?
No. With the free ticket can use the person presenting the registration certificate together with their partners – a maximum amount according to the entry determines the number of seats in the car.

NB _ For us it is not clear if the ‘partner’ of the person named in the registration document needs to be travelling with the person named in the document to qualify – we have emailed ZiKiT asking for clarification and will update this post when they respond.

UPDATE & CLARIFICATION
MPK Have indicated that the free travel concession also applies to the partner/spouse of the person named on the car document, even if they are not travelling together, so long as they have the car registration document. ie If your vehicles/s are registered to your partner, you can travel under the concession,  so long as you have the car document.  Their reply is copied below:-

“I would like to inform that you can travel PT with the car registration document of your wife in case of pollution. It doesn’t matter who is car owner and whose name is written in the document.”
Rzecznik Prasowy MPK SA w Krakowie

5. And what if, if the vehicle is registered to a business?
It does not matter whether the car is registered to a company or individual.

6. Where can we find information on the introduction of free communication?
Information about the introduction of free communication in connection with exceeding the PM10 standards will be published on the websites: krakow.pl , zikit.krakow.pl , mpk.krakow.pl , as well as on social networking sites run by towns and urban units.