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French Train Passenger Fined $155 For Using Phone on Speaker (thelocal.fr) 86

Posted by msmash from the how-about-that dept.
A passenger on the French rail network SNCF has revealed that he received a $155 fine for using his phone on loud speaker within a train station. From a report: The passenger, named only as David, told French TV channel BFM that he was on the phone to his sister while waiting at Nantes station when the SNCF staff member told him to switch his phone's loud speaker off, or risk being fined. When he argued, he was served with the $155 fine, which has been increased to $207 because he did not pay it immediately. Further reading: Flying Was Already the Worst. Then America Stopped Using Headphones.

French Train Passenger Fined $155 For Using Phone on Speaker More | Reply

French Train Passenger Fined $155 For Using Phone on Speaker

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  • Not as bad as smoking, but... (Score:5, Informative)

    by ClickOnThis ( 137803 ) on Friday February 07, 2025 @11:46AM (#65149823) Journal

    Using your speakerphone in public like that is not as bad as smoking for those around you, but it is equally irritating. Have some consideration and use headphones.

    • Or just hold the phone to your ear, like how phones are normally used.
    • Obey the rules of the house you are in. There are times where exceptions are justified, but that's a good starting point.

    • I think the people I see holding their phone like a WWII walkie-talkie and yelling at it like a chimp on banana day are either: unable to figure out how to use earbuds, or can't afford them.

  • Yes (Score:5, Insightful)

    by atheos ( 192468 ) on Friday February 07, 2025 @11:47AM (#65149827) Homepage
    I love everything about this

  • Great (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Rinnon ( 1474161 ) on Friday February 07, 2025 @11:50AM (#65149839)
    I was on the train in Tokyo at rush-hour earlier this year. Packed, but almost silent. Small whispers at most. Almost like it was considered rude to be disruptive to the strangers around you. It was lovely. When I thought back the train in my own city, people there don't give a shit how their behavior impacts the people around them. Jack-asses literally wrestling on the train like it's their backyard; people shouting into their phones, listening to their music on max. It's enough to drive a commuter to drop $600 a month on a car loan. So yeah, great, wish we'd fine people here for the same thing.

    • Almost like it was considered rude to be disruptive to the strangers around you.

      It really is. If you're foolish enough to answer your phone in the quiet section on a Japanese train the only possible way to save yourself is to say - quietly - "I can't talk, I'm on a train" then immediately hang up and give a small apologetic bow to everyone in earshot.

    • Re:Great (Score:5, Interesting)

      by Zontar_Thing_From_Ve ( 949321 ) on Friday February 07, 2025 @12:15PM (#65149931)

      I was on the train in Tokyo at rush-hour earlier this year. Packed, but almost silent. Small whispers at most. Almost like it was considered rude to be disruptive to the strangers around you.

      It's not almost. It is considered rude. Here's why. Japanese society is very workaholic, especially for salary men. If the boss wants to go drinking after work and wants his underlings to go, they go. Stay out until 2 AM on a Monday night? Yep. Also some workers commute by various trains from very far away. So some of the passengers may be exhausted and want to sleep when they can, so that's mostly why they are quiet.

      • lso some workers commute by various trains from very far away. So some of the passengers may be exhausted and want to sleep when they can, so that's mostly why they are quiet.

        You mean people are being considerate of others around them? That can't be right. Why would they do that? /s

    • Here in the Netherlands we have silent first class sections, but often when it's a very busy saturday there will be second class ticket holders sitting in it and making noise. I can't really blame them because I'd feel the same when the scheduled train is too short to hold all the passengers.
      Luckily it doesn't happen that often and I can enjoy my journey in peace most times (which is why I pay for a first class unlimited weekend subscription in the first place).
      I do hope the newest trains will improve upon

  • Sacrebleu!

  • and occasionally I pay for it.

  • NICE! (Score:5, Funny)

    by Gilmoure ( 18428 ) on Friday February 07, 2025 @12:00PM (#65149883) Journal

    [jack nicholson nodding and smiling gif]

  • Why .. (Score:2)

    by PPH ( 736903 )

    .. is the French rail authority fining people in dollars?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by dargaud ( 518470 )
      Since dollar and euro have almost the same value, we use them interchangeably very often.

    • [Why] .. is the French rail authority fining people in dollars?

      Silly wabbit. He was fined in euros. €150 it appears, escalated to €200.

  • is illegal in the UK. Every country has its weird laws. Who cares?

  • France for the win! (Score:3, Insightful)

    by thebeastofbaystreet ( 3805781 ) on Friday February 07, 2025 @12:13PM (#65149923)
    I suddenly have a deep and abiding desire to move to France. I find it remarkable that the guy would go to the media to complain rather than hanging his head in shame.

    • Unfortunately when you get there you'll quickly find that the fact that they are bitching on the media shows what kind of a crazy place it is in the first place. This is a feel good story, but no doubt the guy proceeded to go on a riot and set a car on fire afterwards.

  • Unlikely he was fined $155 USD. More likely €150 EUR.

  • It's despicable what society has come to. Should have been at least double that.

    • Some are poor. 150 euros sends the message and does the work of a fine. Society must accommodate the rich and the poor, and the idea of a fine is to modify behavior, not bankrupt people.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Rinnon ( 1474161 )
        In that case, fines should be levied relative to a persons' wealth and/or income, otherwise it only works against the poor. What's $155 bucks to someone with 7 million in the bank? Just a tiny fee you pay for doing whatever you want.

  • Don't stop at trains, let's get planes and shopping centers on the list.

  • 25 years ago, living in Chicago and commuting via the El, morons with the "coolest, smallest" cellphones would be talking so loud that on the el, with the screeches as the train took the curves, half the car could hear them.

    The rest of us were *so* interested in their conversations. NOT.

  • Good! (Score:2)

    by pele ( 151312 )

    Entitled little cnuts

  • Every day I see more and more people talking on their mobile phones on speaker phone, with the mic held up near their mouth.

    Like this:

    https://newsthump.com/wp-conte... [newsthump.com]

    WHY do people do this? Why not just hold the phone to your ear?
  • I used to ride the LA Metro a lot. and somebody puts on their speaker and starts yacking away and doesn't give a shit about what anybody thinks about them being loud. I've asked people to stop doing it and they just act like who cares you know. I like this idea if people can't be decent then fine them.

  • You have to go to a gangway to phone, even if NOT on speaker, since the dude USING the phone is ALWAYS on and A speaker.

  • Another entitled person who thinks the world revolves around him. BUT, there is no actual law on using your speakerphone in public, except maybe there are rules about it when entering a train station, but if those rules aren't clearly visible, a regular person is not likely to know these. BUT, in this case, he got the initial ticket after an argument, so I guess he was first asked to turn of the speaker and told about the rules, but he didn't agree with it and argued and kept using the speakerphone, after w

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