Conductors on French public transport will soon be able to check your address
Move is part of anti-fraud plans to prevent people from giving false information during fines including on SNCF trains
Travellers on trains must already be able to show ID proving their name
Henry Sy John / Shutterstock
Staff on France’s public transport services will soon have access to a database containing people’s addresses as part of anti-fraud plans.
Transport authority officials and conductors will be able to verify information given by passengers who break rules – such as travelling without a valid ticket – including their name and address, to ensure fines are sent out correctly.
The system will come into place on certain public transport networks – including the national rail system operated by the SNCF – on January 8, where it will undergo a three-month trial before being widened to include all public transport systems in France.
Transport body Union des Transports Publics et Ferroviaires (UTPF) claims up to half of all people asked by transport officials give false address information, contributing to €700 million in unpaid fines.
A decree published in France’s Journal Officiel on December 3 outlines the full changes.
How will the system work?
Officials will be able to cross-reference information given by a passenger with a database including information from other organisations such as France’s social security system, to ensure they are telling the truth.
The decree updates a 2016 law on preventing fraud on public transport, which allowed for such a measure once a safe and effective platform to review passenger addresses had been established.
The measures, before being placed in the Journal Officiel, were supported by the CNIL (Commission nationale de l'informatique et des libertés) and Conseil d'État.
For the first three months, six transport authorities representing most but not all of France’s public transport operations will use the system – Keolis, RATP, SNCF, Transdev, RTM and Tisséo, both representing the AGIR Transport networks.
It will then be widened to include all public transport in France.
Current rules on SNCF trains require passengers to carry ID matching the name on their ticket.
Only certain forms of ID are acceptable.
Read more: What documents must you carry on French train to avoid a fine?
