Venice - Validating ATVO 72 hour vaporetto pass

You must validate the pass EVERY TIME that you use it. Seems crazy, but that is the rule.

Since it is a true 72 hour pass, you'll know when it expires because it will quit beeping and flashing to "good" light.

In Amsterdam, you have to scan your pass every time both getting on and getting off the tram.

In Venice, you must tap your card against the pad EVERY SINGLE TIME YOU GET ON. There are WHOPPING fines for not doing this. It's an anti-scofflaw thing, making enforcement very easy. They have someone watching the pad to make sure everyone is legit. No potential for free-riders like there is with buses in Rome. (Although in Rome, many of the riders have monthly passes, and don't have to scan each time. That confuses some tourists who think no one is paying.)

It is a bit counter-intuitive, since it's a continuous pass, but I suppose they're collecting data on how the products are used.

I don't think it has to do with collecting data but with collecting money. A vaporetto ride is a big money-maker for the city - something like 7.50 euros a pop. Making everyone tap the pad means it's super easy to catch those without a ticket.

True or not, collecting data is the official reason given by the city. Same in Turin where they have forced pass holders to tap every time and then they have used those data to create low frequency lines. I guess that in Venice they are more interested in the number of people on the pontoons.

Why should tourists be suspicious in Rome? A year/monthly pass is the norm all over the world. Who would ever buy the most expensive ticket, the single ride one, in his own city? It would be an awful waste of money.

In Venice, if you have a monthly pass, you do not need to tap your pass. The validity of a monthly pass is easy to check, as they run for a calendar month.

So if you see people not tapping their pass, it does not mean that they are cheating the system.