Sharing this as a warning for other travellers. On 18 May 2026 my companion and I bought valid Autolinee Toscane tickets at the official ticket office in Florence for the 131R to Siena. Before boarding we asked the driver how to validate the ticket. He told us to fold it in half. We did exactly that.
A ticket inspector then fined us €60 each for non-validation — despite scanning our tickets and confirming they were genuine before issuing the fines (the fine receipt itself records “TITOLO VISIONATO” — ticket viewed — and “Biglietto evaso: €0.00”, meaning zero ticket value evaded). We were given no information about our right to pay a deposit and appeal before being forced to pay €120 on the spot in five minutes.
Autolinee Toscane rejected our appeal saying payment closes all proceedings. We have since filed complaints with the European Consumer Centre Germany, AGCM Italy (Italian competition authority), Codacons, and RATP Dev (AT’s parent company).
The English text on the ticket says only “to be validated at the beginning of the trip” — no mention of a machine or any specific procedure. The Italian text says “piegare a metà” (fold in half) — which is exactly what the driver told us to do.
If this happened to you too, please share. The more documented cases there are, the stronger the systemic complaint becomes.
Posted by
Belgium
413 posts
🤣🤣
You MUST validate it at the validation machine when you board (or risk a fine). The tickets don't fit in the validation machine so you have to fold them in half longways.
It’s not anyone else’s fault; you’ve simply got it wrong… and that’s a costly mistake!
Posted by
Portsmouth
6025 posts
The driver told you to fold the ticket in half in line with the instructions written in Italian on the ticket. I suspect he did not realise that you had no idea about the requirement to validate using the machine and therefore he did not give the wrong instructions and it's unfair to falsely accuse him of something when you were the ones in the wrong.
I really don't think you'll get anywhere with your complaints as it was your error. I'd suggest just putting it down to an expensive mistake and move on. If you're going to use public transport in a foreign country then it really is advisable to research the requirements in advance to avoid such costly mistakes.
Posted by
PA
3153 posts
Just did this route in April. Our train into Florence ran late, we just had time to find our way over into the bus station and see the 131R waiting. As I we started on, I had forgotten about how to tap in with our cards and did not see the reader just inside the door on the left, showed card to driver, he pointed into office. Went in, bought two tickers, which he folded and validated. That did not prevent a long scrutiny from two agents who boarded just before Siena and scrutinized our tickets with an intense scrute before moving on.
Had we tapped in with our cards, I am wondering what we would have had to show the inspector.
Yes, they were within their rights to nail you for the this, but seriously -the driver could have been more helpful and this clearly should not have been a case of getting a tourist tax. This was clearly a misunderstanding and they could have just taken your tickets at that point and punched them, even showing you how. Yes, we should all know the transit rules when we travel. But the penalty ought to be in line with the crime.