Parisian Fined €150 for Transporting Plant on Metro, Sparks Outrage

Salomé, a 24-year-old Parisian, experienced what she calls "the most expensive metro ride of her life" after being slapped with a hefty €150 fine for transporting a plant on the Paris Métro. The incident has ignited a debate about the strictness and clarity of the RATP’s (Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens) regulations regarding the transport of bulky items.

Salomé had purchased the plant to decorate her new apartment. She recounts that she and a friend had barely passed through the turnstiles at a station when an RATP agent stopped them. "At first, I wasn’t shocked because I thought it was a routine ticket check," explains Salomé, a journalist who was interviewed by Le Figaro newspaper.

However, the check turned out to be anything but routine. The agent spent an unusually long time tapping on her handheld device before asking for their identification. "I thought it was strange and asked if we had done something wrong. She then explained that my plant was too big and considered a bulky item. Therefore, I had to pay a fine," Salomé details, expressing her shock and disbelief.

Salomé felt that the agent could have handled the situation differently. "She could have told me earlier or suggested we turn back. We would have accepted," she insists, highlighting the lack of communication and flexibility.

The situation escalated when the RATP agent presented the terminal for payment, revealing the €150 fine. "I internally choked. I was expecting €25 or €30, not such a large sum! Especially since the description of the fine was ‘Dangerous and bulky object in a carriage,’ when we were in the station corridor," she exclaims, emphasizing the seemingly disproportionate penalty.

According to the RATP’s regulations, the fine amount is the same as for more serious offenses such as "Carrying a loaded firearm," "Crossing the tracks," or "Violation of the prohibition of urination." Since it was her first offense, Salomé reluctantly paid the demanded sum without protest, unaware that contesting the fine required not paying it immediately. "I didn’t know that you shouldn’t pay to be able to contest the fine," she regrets.

Salomé believes that the agent lacked "pedagogy or understanding" in the situation. "When I told her that no one knows this rule, she replied that it was written down," she states. Determined to find the rule, Salomé searched the station for any relevant signage.

"We found a small framed notice next to the map of Paris on the platform that stated, ‘Dangerous or bulky objects are prohibited… Packages, bags, or luggage that you can carry are permitted, provided that you do not obstruct other travelers and their movement in RATP spaces and vehicles,’" she quotes, emphasizing that she was, in fact, able to carry the plant.

Upon returning home – still using the metro – Salomé, on the advice of her friend, decided to post a message on X (formerly Twitter), directly tagging the RATP. "I had the (dis)pleasure of receiving a €150 fine for… transporting a plant (admittedly quite tall) on the metro. I am very surprised to learn that carrying a plant costs more than evading the metro fare," she wrote in her post.

The post quickly went viral, garnering over 525,000 views and more than 8,000 likes to date. "It was trending on Twitter for an entire evening," Salomé says with a hint of amusement.

Before her post gained such traction, the RATP responded on X, emphasizing the obligation to respect established rules. The customer service department reiterated that "suitcases or various packages must not exceed 75 cm in dimension. Long packages of 2 meters at most, but measuring no more than 20 cm in their other dimensions, are allowed provided they are held vertically." Salomé’s plant, a "Bird of Paradise" species, measured no more than 130 cm, further fueling her frustration.

Since her initial post, Salomé has been receiving hundreds of calls from media outlets daily, seeking to share her story. While she grants a few interviews, it is primarily in the hope that the RATP will offer a gesture of goodwill. "Everyone is tagging Jean Castex and Valérie Pécresse on Twitter. I’m keeping my fingers crossed," she laughs, referring to prominent political figures.

In the meantime, Salomé remains optimistic and has decided to name the plant "Prune." The incident has sparked a wider conversation about the RATP’s policies, the discretion of its agents, and the need for clearer communication with passengers. Many online users have expressed their support for Salomé, questioning the fairness and proportionality of the fine. The RATP is facing mounting pressure to address the situation and potentially reconsider its approach to enforcing these regulations, particularly in situations where common sense and a bit of flexibility could prevent such incidents from escalating. The case of "Prune," the metro plant, has unexpectedly become a symbol of the everyday frustrations of Parisian commuters.