The man says he was punished with € 200 (£ 166) for calling to a speaker at a train station in France.
A man, named only as David, told French television television BFM TV that he was calling with his sister at Nantes station on Sunday when he was approached by a SNCF employee, a French railway company.
David said he was told that he would be fined 150 euros if he did not turn off the speaker – a fine, which he claims was later increased to 200 euros because he had not paid for him on the spot. Since then, he has hired a lawyer who will challenge the sentence.
SNFC has not yet answered the BBC news for comment.
State -owned Vlachs confirmed a fine to a French output La Parisienbut challenged some details of the passenger account.
David, reported that he was 54 years old, said he was hanging out at first when he was told about a fine, thinking it was a joke, BFM TV reported.
SNCF described the escalation interaction between the passengers and its staff member before the fine was issued.
According to to ouest-FrenchThe incident happened on Sunday.
Although there is no national law in France that prohibits the use of mobile phones on the speaker in public places, there are noise control regulations.
According to a French transport code, those using “sound devices or instruments” or “disturb the peace of others with noise” in areas used for public transportation could face a fine.
The surveys about the opinion suggest that they speak loudly in a public place among behaviors that are considered the most acceptable when it comes to phone calls.
In a study on 2,005 adults in the UK last year, Ancient who found yougov 86% thought the use of speakers in a common environment was unacceptable, while 88% felt the same for loudly.
With such strong feelings, countries around the world have different approaches to the police of the problem.
Some train operators in the UK offer “quiet coaches” or “quiet zones” – carriage where passengers are encouraged to lower the noise level. For example, the London northeast railway prays passengers traveling in such coaches to make sure that the music they listen cannot be heard through their headphones and move if they want to make or receive a call.
The Italian train training offers a similar service on Frecciarosa train. Passengers “who want to travel in complete relaxation and far from the pollution of the mobile noise” can travel in a “quiet area” in their business transport.
In Japan, where there are strict cultural norms about public behavior, a conversation with a phone, while on the train it is considered rude and strongly discouraged.
The West Japan Railway Company’s labeling guidelines are looking for passengers not to speak loudly on the train and set up their phones in a quiet way, as well as refrain from referring and accepting the call while on the train.
“To speak loudly in trains is an inconvenience for nearby passengers,” it says.
Meanwhile, the Busan Transportation Corporation, located in Busan in South Korea, advises passengers to put their phone in a vibrational way and “quietly conversations” under the guide to the rail label that was published on his website.
