50€. Until now, this was the price for a fine in the metro, the RER, or the bus if you were without a ticket. That's quite a hefty sum, representing about 20 to 25 trips depending on your chosen mode of transport. However, for Jean Castex, president of RATP, it is far, far from being enough to tackle the many fraudsters hanging around Paris and its surroundings. That's why starting this June, this fine is set to increase drastically across the entire network. And here's a big surprise: this increase will apply even if you have a ticket that hasn’t been validated!
All Against Fraud
In recent months, waging war against those who travel without paying (or validating) their ticket has become the number one goal for various transportation companies in the Île-de-France region. D&.On one side, Île-de-France Mobilités (IDFM), led by Valérie Pécresse, aims to halve the number of fraud cases by 2025, bringing the rate down from 8% to 4%. To achieve this, they have launched a massive "continuous control" operation on the metro, bus, RER, and tram lines that are most affected by the issue.
🚨À partir du 2 juin, les PV à la RATP passent à 70€. Un oubli de Navigo ? Une fleur à la main ?💥PV direct. Et derrière… 10% de prime par PV pour les contrôleurs métro. On ne lutte plus contre la fraude, on traque les usagers. Stop à la chasse au portefeuille.#StopAuxAmendes✊🏼 https://t.co/rdninOha4c pic.twitter.com/LBVtffEzkg
— Ahmed Berrahal (@berrahalAhmed93) May 23, 2025
On the other hand, RATP has entered the same battle through a different means, that of money. A heavy argument, which should involve a quite significant increase in the fines. To put it simply, Jean Castex announced an additional 20€ for all offenders, making it 70€ if the fine is paid directly on the spot during the check, and up to 180€ if it is paid late. As a reminder, according to RATP data, nearly 60% of passengers caught pay immediately.
Everyone under the same banner
But then, why suddenly go all out to tackle the phenomenon? Simply because right now, these little scamps who love e...scalader the turnstiles or getting on the bus through the back door costs IDFM a tidy sum of 700 million euros each year, which is nearly double what we saw just about ten years ago. There are particularly many fraudsters in the buses and trams. Since mid-February, 11,500 fines have been issued across the network.
J'ai payé mon amende de 70€ pour avoir fraudé le métro à 1.6 € m'adressez pas la parole de la journée je serai occupée à pleurer
— edmond van de kamp (@mausiii_j) May 18, 2025
And be careful, among the little offenders there are also some travelers who have a transport ticket and simply choose not to validate it. They might save it for later because it helps them save on a trip, or just out of laziness. Until now, this little offense cost them €35 in case of a check (5 on the bus and tram), but they might think twice from now on. Because the tariff increase applies to them too, and this penalty will now cost them… €70, just like those who have no ticket (15 on the bus and tram). This could really change the game for everyone.
