SNCF cracks down on fare dodgers

FARE dodgers on France’s rail network will face heavier fines from next month as SNCF tries to claw back some of the €300m it loses to fraud every year.

From March 2, the fine for anyone caught trying to make a train journey of 150km or less without a ticket will be increased from €35 to €50, plus the cost of a single ticket, the train operator said yesterday.

Last year, fines were issued to 2.5million passengers for failing to pay their fines. Of those, 1million paid up in full on the train, SNCF said. But it admitted that only 10% of the remaining fines are successfully collected and warned that it intends to beef up its recovery operation.

It also announced plans to crack down on those travellers who regularly try to get away without paying for a ticket.

It said that it would regard anyone caught five times would be considered a multiple offender, and would face additional sanctions - including the risk of six months in prison and fines of up to €7,000.

The train operator also said that it will increase the number and frequency of ticket checks on trains and platforms, to counter the number of passengers travelling illegally. It estimates that up to 10% of passengers using regional rail services and 3% of TGV users are fare dodgers.

Last year, it announced plans to tighten ticket rules in a bid to cut down on fraud, including reductions on the length of time a ticket is valid on TER services.

At the time, SNCF said that it believed some passengers were reusing their tickets several times to avoid repaying.

Yesterday, it said that the €300m annual cost of fraud on the network would pay for 10 new TGVs, 30 new TER trains, 15km of new track, or the renewal of 150km of existing lines.

Keolis, a regional subsidiary of SNCF, has started announcing ticket checks at stations two stops in advance, forcing passengers to ensure their ticket is valid or leave the train.

Photo: Dave Collier