Plainclothes agents in Metro, Bus and RER...

Stepped up enforcement of ticketing has been in full swing for at least 10 years. We have been checked an average of once a week when in Paris and on a recent trip 3 times. Le Parisien thinks this is news? They don't get out much do they?

A good reminder - thanks chexbres.

I was checked once on a bus. At first, when the person approached me, I thought it was a scammer and started to brush him off, but noticed his arm band and hand-held machine. I handed him my Navigo, it checked out and he moved on, but I watched both him and a colleague strip off their arm bands and other identification after they checked everyone on the bus, then they got off.

The article mentioned referred to the use of plainclothes agents on the SNCF. Here is a link to the article in English

http://en.rfi.fr/france/20170929-french-rail-plain-clothes-agents-crack-down-ticket-dodgers

We had this happened this summer taking the train back from Disney Paris. They had 4-5 of them blocking the exit so that everyone had to get their ticket validated

I have never had this happen on the metro but havr many times seem people on la SNCF get busted. Always humorous to hear them say "mais s'il vous plaît" to the agent.

People are trying to cheat ride without validating. Saw many kids trying to run away after getting busted at Gare d'Antibes July 2017.

janet - these were plainclothes officers in action. Not the ones with the armbands.
You misunderstood the whole thing.
Fines for unvalidated tickets are now 50 EU and rising.

Je monte, je valide.

Happening all over. In Florence a 'college kid' in t shirt and jeans got on our bus. Once it was rolling, he whipped out a machine and a badge and checked everyone on board. Cheating on buses is rampant in Florence and we have heard an American tourist actually counsel another that they could 'ride for free' and 'just pretend to be a confused tourist'. We never ride the metro without seeing young men jumping the styles and old people sneaking in the exits. Glad to see ticketing being enforced.

Everytime I go, I learn something new. This trip it was another pay attention thing. I bought a ticket for a train (not metro) at a ticket machine. It asked if I wanted it for now or later. I said now, it spit out a ticket and I boarded the train. I thought I didn't need to validate since I bought a ticket for "now". When the ticket agent came she pointed out that the ticket says it's valid for several days, even though I had purchased it to use on a specific train, and it needed to be validated. She wrote a time on my ticket but didn't fine me, thankfully. From now on I need to read the ticket more carefully.

I can say with certainty that the French have been checking people for tickets on trains and buses for at least 30 years. The technology has improved for paying the fines, that is for sure...

I can't remember if I have been checked in the last 44 years riding the Metro. If so, it was no big deal since I have never been fined in Paris.

Why would you "toss your validated ticket...?"

Because tourists think it is a worthless piece of paper that they don't want to carry around.

Keeping your ticket till you exit a RER station proved I lost mine a few years back and couldn’t get out. Tried to attract attention for help but luckely an employee had some material to bring in and opened a service gate and I could sneak out. Have no idea if they had believed me I lost the ticket, but since then I look more carefully after it.