A Polish woman took a bite out of a ticket inspector's shoulder after she was caught traveling on a tram without a ticket, local police said.

The incident occurred in Poznan, west central Poland, on Monday, when a 26-year-old woman, who was with her child, was approached and asked to produce her ticket as part of a routine ticket check.

As the woman was being issued with a fine for traveling without a ticket she tried to make her getaway, but was stopped by two other inspectors.

"The woman initially hit one of the inspectors on his head and then severely bit him on his shoulder," the spokeswoman said adding that the fare dodger was subsequently arrested.

If convicted, the woman faces up to two years in prison. The fine for fare dodging on Polish public transport is around $100.