cherrybim:In many cities in Europe, subway (and buses) are accessed by people without any payment-whether by token or card. One needs to have a proof of payment, such as a weekly or monthly pass. Hence, one can walk onto a subway train without any payment. I was made aware of this question by Rav Goldschmidt of Moscow, where people lived far away from the shuls and had to take public transport to get to shul. If my memory serves me right, he had a (verbal) psak from R’Moshe zz’l that it was much better for shul-goers to use public transport that come by car ( many problems of real chilul shabos). However, the one caveat was that, once one is seen on such train, it is not clear whether he/she was going to shul or just shopping. Hence, the “maris ayin”. I’ll try to find the sefer and quote accurate point.
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