Beware of fines on Bus 492 that stops at the Vatican Museums entrance

Beware of fines on Bus 492 that stops at the Vatican Museums
entrance
How to buy tickets for the bus
How to stamp your ticket
How to avoid getting a fine on the bus The fine amount
Where to buy tickets
Why so many tourists get fined on the bus
Here is what you should know before getting on a bus in Rome.
When visiting Rome, it can be quite challenging to take transportation, especially if you’re a tourist and have never been to Rome before.
Rome’s bus system works very well if you’re traveling on a low budget. One-way tickets cost 1.5€, and from Termini Station, you’ll have access to all the buses that will bring you everywhere from Trevi Fountain to the Spanish Steps, the Colosseum and Vatican City.
Buses 40, 64, or 492 will all bring you near the Vatican Museums. They can be pretty crowded inside, so we recommend that you beware of the pickpockets who always hit those lines to take advantage of tourists.
But the main thing we want you to be aware of is how the ticket system works here in Rome.
If you are near Termini Station, the Vatican or the Colosseum, you will always
need to look for a little kiosk to buy tickets. There you can either buy individual tickets, which you’ll need to use within the next 75 minutes (after that you’ll need a new ticket), or you can get a whole week pass. You can also buy a Roma Pass, which has discounts on a few museums in Rome.
We’ve noticed that many of the clients who join our tours complain about having gotten a fine on Bus 492 that stops in front of the Vatican. Here is why this can happen.
If you get caught on the bus without a ticket, you will be fined 50€ cash immediately.
With a credit card, you will be fined if you didn’t punch your ticket in the small yellow machine at the end of the bus. Sometimes these machines don’t work, so
in that case, you go up to the driver, tell him the machine doesn’t work, and ask him where you can stamp your ticket instead.
If you’re in this situation, we always recommend you take a pen and write on your ticket the exact date and time when you got on the bus and told the driver that the ticket punch machine didn’t work. At that point, if the police come because you refused the fine, you will have every right not to pay it.