The client stated that the TER train he had taken between Reims and Charleville-Mézières in June 2023 had been delayed by 1 hour 40 minutes, and that this delay had affected the rest of his journey, which was made up of a first leg between Paris-Est and Épernay, a second between Épernay and Reims, a third between Reims and Charleville-Mézières, and a final leg between Charleville-Mézières and Joigny-sur-Meuse. Because of the delay to the first TER, he had missed the departure of his last train to Joigny-sur-Meuse, where he had a business appointment.

The Customer Relations Centre had granted him a refund for the ticket affected by the delay, but the client requested a refund for all of his tickets. After reminding the client that a full refund for all tickets was not possible, since even though his journey had been disrupted he had still been able to reach his destination, the Mediator noted that his tickets had been booked under four separate orders, and that SNCF Voyageurs did not guarantee any connection at Charleville-Mézières station.

As a result, she was unable to grant his request.

The client stated that she had been fined for « travelling without a valid ticket » during her TER journey between Dijon-Ville and Beaune in November 2022, even though she had been able to show the ticket inspector a ticket purchased online. She disputed the grounds for the fine and requested a refund of the amount paid.

After finding that the claimant’s ticket had been purchased online 4 minutes after the train’s departure, the Mediator pointed out that it is the passenger’s responsibility to purchase their ticket in advance so as to hold a valid ticket before boarding the train, since although TER tickets are in principle valid all day, they are only valid for trains departing after the time of purchase.

As a result, the refund was not granted.

The client stated that he held a monthly Navigo pass loaded on his smartphone. In November 2022, while at La Garenne-Colombes station, an agent asked him to present his ticket for inspection, but his smartphone’s battery was dead at the time. He had to pay a penalty for « travelling without a valid ticket » and requested a refund of the amount paid.

The Mediator reiterated the basic rule that, in accordance with the French Transport Code, passengers must hold a valid ticket. She also noted that the SNCF Voyageurs Passenger Fares, general terms and conditions of sale, state that « the passenger must have a mobile phone in good working order and, in particular, must ensure it has sufficient battery life to meet all ticket inspection requirements ».

It turned out that the client did indeed hold a valid monthly pass. The Mediator therefore proposed refunding half of the penalty amount.

A client was due to travel between Paris Gare du Nord and London St Pancras in May 2020, before Brexit.

She was unable to make her journey due to the restrictive measures linked to the Covid-19 health crisis, and therefore cancelled her tickets, for which she received digital vouchers valid until June 2022.

However, Brexit, which subsequently took effect, introduced a new requirement to hold a passport in order to travel to the United Kingdom. As the claimant did not hold a passport, she wished to be refunded for her Eurostar tickets by bank transfer. Eurostar informed her that she could no longer obtain this refund because the vouchers’ validity period had expired.

After investigation, it emerged that the claimant had requested a refund for her tickets before her vouchers’ expiry date, but had received no response from Eurostar Customer Service despite several follow-up requests. In light of all the circumstances, the Mediator proposed that the vouchers be cancelled and that the claimant be refunded by bank transfer.

The claimant stated that he had been fined at the station for « passing through access gates without authorisation », even though he held a « Navigo Easy pass ». He explained that he was unaware this pass did not allow travel in all Île-de-France fare zones, unlike all-zone monthly or annual Navigo passes.

The Mediator noted that the claimant had acknowledged that the gate had beeped as he passed through without paying attention, and reminded him that the offence consisted simply of passing through the platform access gates without validating a valid ticket.

She therefore decided to uphold the fine.

The claimant was fined in July 2023 for « unauthorised non-pedestrian movement » after riding his scooter on a platform at Gare du Nord in Paris. He claimed that it was difficult to walk while holding his scooter at his side, that his speed was lower than that of pedestrians, and that he had stopped immediately when ordered to do so by the inspecting officer. He disputed, in particular, the amount of the fine.

The Mediator cited the provisions of article R 2241-9 of the French Transport Code, under which « in areas and vehicles used for the public transport of passengers or goods, it is prohibited for any person to travel, without authorisation, on motorised or non-motorised devices, except for mobility aids used by persons with reduced mobility ». She also informed the claimant that signage present in all stations informs passengers that riding scooters is prohibited.

Given the danger this type of movement poses to other passengers, the Mediator proposed not to reduce the amount of the fine.

The claimant referred the matter to Mediation to dispute a fine issued against her in May 2023 for « travelling without a valid ticket », while she was travelling on a TER train between Lyon-Part-Dieu and Bellegarde-sur-Valserine. During the ticket inspection, she was unable to present her digital ticket because she had no internet connection on her smartphone.

After noting that when passengers choose not to print their digital tickets, it is their responsibility to ensure they can access them both during their journey and when boarding the train (battery, internet connection, etc.), the Mediator nevertheless noted that the claimant did hold a ticket purchased before the train’s departure, valid for the correct route and date.

She therefore proposed reducing the amount of the fine.