Can you board a train and buy your ticket once inside or on the station platform? Be careful, because at the SNCF, certain procedures must be respected at the risk of being sanctioned…
People who take the train regularly, or on certain occasions, will no doubt be unanimous in saying that in stations, there are often grotesque situations that occur. Whether on the platforms or on board the trains. For example, it could be a traveler who gets angry with SNCF agents because he missed his train by a few minutes, or even tensions that break out between users. And then, there are aberrant situations, in the eyes of some, which take place between SNCF controllers and travelers. This is generally the case when a fine or a request for regularization is issued against a transport user.
A few days ago, the story of a young Strasbourg resident, named Titouan, made headlines on social networks and then in the media. On May 4, this 19-year-old student boarded the TER Strasbourg-Mulhouse at the very last moment at 11:25 a.m. The latter was initially scheduled for 11:21 a.m., but it was 5 minutes late. Once on the train, Titouan immediately buys his TER ticket for 10 euros. He then thinks he is in good standing until he gets checked during the trip…
An SNCF agent checks his transport ticket, and there, the young man learns that he is in violation and that he must pay 65 euros on the spot. Indeed, few people know it, but buying a transport ticket after the train departure time exposes any traveler to financial regularization. Contacted by our colleagues atNews Strasbourgthe SNCF explains that “the departure of TER 832307 being scheduled for 11:21 a.m., the transport ticket should have been purchased before this time and not after. The principle of regularization is normal, it is also clearly explained in our general conditions of sale.”
In principle, what is the procedure to follow to avoid the fine? If you cannot buy your ticket before the train departure time, due to a faulty ticket window or ticket machine, you must then report to a ticket inspector. As the SNCF indicates on its site, by immediately reporting the irregularity, the traveler pays “the price of the ticket without supplement”. In the event that he does not have a ticket or the ticket is invalid, he pays “the price of the ticket + 15 euros”. The supplement decreases to 7 euros for journeys of less than 150 km.
And if you do not present yourself spontaneously to the SNCF agent, the financial penalty is much higher: count 20 euros if the ticket is not stamped (50 euros for a Transilien), between 35 and 50 euros if the ticket is invalid, 50 euros + the price of the ticket if the customer does not have a transport ticket, 100 euros + the price of the ticket if the user does not pay the fine immediately. In the event of a fraudulent situation, the maximum fine is 150 euros in addition to the price of the train ticket.