Can they refuse my car license for not having paid a bus ticket?

Since 2022, more fare checkpoints have been established to combat evasion in the capital’s transport system, significantly increasing validations in 2023. One of the pillars of the fight against evasion has been the implementation implementing measures such as payment via QR, the maximum monthly amount of $38,000 and, above all, the persecution of anyone caught evading payment of the ticket.

Current regulations establish that non-payment of the public transport ticket constitutes a serious traffic offense, punishable by fines ranging from 1 to 1.5 monthly tax units (UTM), doubled in the event of a repeat offense. To ensure compliance with the legal obligation to pay public transport fares, the Government of Chile has the Registry of Violating Passengers (RPI).

The RPI was created to register offenders caught failing to pay the fare or committing other offenses related to the use of public transport. This register is linked to the National Register of Motor Vehicle Drivers and will be managed by the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications through the Undersecretariat of Transport.

Clerks of local police courts must report sanctioned offenders who have not paid their fines, allowing them to be entered into the register. The suspension of the issuance of documents related to transport issues, such as the impossibility of renewing the driving license or the refusal of the circulation permit if you own a vehicle, are among the measures envisaged.

The Transparency Act allows anyone to ask whether a person is on the register via a Freedom of Public Information request. However, this consultation cannot be used to make decisions regarding employment, credit, business, real estate sales, among others.

In addition to the fines and suspended documents already specified, obtaining school and higher education passes, as well as any document allowing payment exemption or fare reduction in public transport, is also sanctioned. Income tax refunds can also be withheld to pay fines.

There is the possibility of reducing the fine by half if the offender pays up to five days before the summons. This reduction is applied in the event of non-payment of the transport ticket or misuse of subscriptions or school benefits.

To find out if I am in the RPI after not having paid the fine within the indicated period, you just have to enter the consultation site established within the Undersecretary of Transport page . There, after entering via a unique code, I can make queries by RU to see if I am registered.

After paying the offense and providing the payment slip issued by the corresponding Municipal Treasury, you must register at the same place of consultation specified in the previous paragraph , then request the removal of the RPI. Once the information has been validated by the Directorate of Standards and Operations of the Undersecretariat of Transport, the register will be deleted.