Traveller Faces Fine of 150 Euros for Carrying a Green Plant on Paris Metro (RATP Imposes Penalty)
Unbelievable! Paris Metro Fines Woman €150 Over Tall Houseplant
Salomé, a young Parisian woman, found herself in an absurd situation on Sunday, April 6, when she was slapped with a €150 fine for transporting her tall houseplant on the metro. The irony? Her plant was named "Prune".
At République station, Salomé, who stood tall at 1.30 meters, found herself and her 1.30-meter-tall plant halted by metro authorities. After several awkward minutes, Salomé questioned the agent about the reason for the hold-up. The agent, with a stern look, informed her that transporting a tall plant is an infraction because it hinders other passengers.
Salomé, upset by the situation, took to Twitter, stating that the metro signs clearly allow passengers to carry items without disturbing others. She also expressed her displeasure at the agent's lack of understanding, stating, "It was very easy to carry the plant." To add insult to injury, Salomé had to pay the hefty fine before the agent reluctantly allowed her to board the metro with her long-suffering plant.
RATP Stands By Its Decision
In response to Salomé's Twitter barrage, RATP (Paris transport authority) doubled down on its decision to fine her, stating that transporting an item considered a hindrance was a legitimate reason for the fine. The transport authority also stated that its control agents cannot evaluate explanations given due to the risk of arbitrariness.
However, the RATP did specify certain conditions under which bulky items, including suitcases, are allowed. These conditions include maximum dimensions of less than 75 cm, with packages up to 2 meters long but not more than 20 cm in their other dimensions, as long as they are held vertically. They invited Salomé to contact customer service to "continue this conversation and make a complaint," preferring direct messages over public messages on social media.
Although Paris is actively promoting green initiatives, such as planting 170,000 trees between 2020 and 2026, it seems the spirit of these initiatives does not extend to houseplants on the metro. If you're planning to transport a plant, it might be best to contact RATP directly for accurate information on their policies and restrictions.
- Despite Paris's green initiatives and Salomé's argument about the metro signs, RATP defended its decision to fine her for transporting a tall houseplant, stating that evaluating explanations could lead to arbitrariness.
- Losing faith in the metro authority's understanding, Salomé shared her displeasure on Twitter, expressing that transporting her plant, appropriately named "Prune," was easy and didn't disturb other passengers.
- In light of the incident, Salomé may consider contacting RATP's customer service directly for precise information regarding their policies and restrictions on transporting houseplants.
- RATP specified that, under certain conditions, bulky items such as suitcases and certain houseplants that meet specific size dimensions can be transported on the metro, provided they are held vertically.
