A method of message transmission between users in a distributed system with token passing includes a special token procedure in order to achieve consistent message transmission, even in the case of a fault. The special token procedure is based on a coincidence of monitoring and information states of the users. In the case of an error, a logical resumption, which is derived from a consecutive sequence number, is carried out without adversely affecting data consistency. The method can be implemented in different versions, that is with information passing of user data in the form of a ring or the transmission of user data in physical multicast and the passing of associated check information in the form of a ring. The method can be used in supervisory control installations.