Many regions have strengthened their anti-fraud mesures on TER trains, such as those on the Toulouse- Figeac or Caussade-Montauban lines. Apparently conductors checking tickets on the train will no longer accept an excuse for not having a ticket and will charge a higher fare than the standard.
As many stations do not have a ticket office nor a machine from which a ticket can be purchased the only means open is to pay on-line and either print a ticket off or download it to a smart phone.
An example is given of a 13.20 euro ticket bought beforehand being 25 euros if bought from the conductor.
SNCF estimate that ticket fraud costs millions of euros per annum, but says a "genuine" reason should give recourse to a reimbursement.**
The new regime apparently came into force on 20th March. Have any readers experienced this yet?
The recent meeting of rural mayors deplored the increasing withdrawal of personal services in favour of internet use. They consider that this penalises elderly people who may not be computer literate, despite their holding courses over the last 25 years to increase awareness.
We at Taglines are used to buying air and train tickets on-line, but still prefer paper to using our smart phones - to the despair of our younger family members. One imagines that many of our generation are the same.
** SNCF have said if you board at a station where there is no guichet nor machine the conductor should charge the correct fare. A suivre.
