Residents of Bălți have raised concerns after noticing late-night withdrawals from their bank cards for what appeared to be trolleybus rides that never took place.
In recent days, dozens of people reported that small amounts typically 3 to 4 lei were deducted from their accounts during the early hours of the morning, despite public transport not operating at that time.
Bălți trolley payments confusion spreads online
The issue quickly gained traction on social media, where residents shared screenshots from banking apps showing transactions recorded at around 3:00 or 4:00 a.m.
Many users initially suspected a system error or even fraud.
“At 3 a.m. I was asleep, I was definitely not on a trolleybus. Why was the money taken?” one user wrote online.
Authorities cite delayed processing
In response to the complaints, officials from the municipal enterprise Direcția de Troleibuze din Bălți, along with representatives of the partner bank, provided a technical explanation.
According to them, the issue is not related to double charging or fictitious trips.
The electronic payment system works as follows:
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Passengers pay for their journey using a bank card at a terminal inside the trolleybus during the day
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The transaction is recorded but not immediately debited from the account
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Payments made throughout the day are grouped and processed by the bank in a single batch, usually overnight
As a result, customers receive notifications about withdrawals late at night, even though the charges correspond to actual journeys made earlier.
Authorities insist that each deduction reflects a valid trip and have urged residents to check their transaction history before assuming any error.
