A 54-year-old man named David was recently fined €200 ($166) for speaking on a loudspeaker during a phone call at Nantes train station in France. In an interview with BFM TV, David explained that he was conversing with his sister when he was approached by an employee from SNCF, France's national railway company. He was initially warned that not turning off his loudspeaker would result in a €150 fine, which later escalated to €200 since he did not pay on the spot. Following the incident, he has engaged legal counsel to challenge the charge.
SNCF confirmed the penalty to the French news outlet La Parisien but disputed elements of David's account of events. The incident occurred on a Sunday, and David reportedly hung up his call, mistaking the fine for a prank. SNCF described an altercation between David and its staff, although specific details remain unclear.
Despite a lack of specific national laws in France banning loudspeaker usage in public spaces, general noise control regulations do apply. The French Transport Code allows for fines to be issued for disruptions caused by "sound devices or instruments". As recent opinion polls indicate, many are sensitive to loud phone conversations in public, with a YouGov survey showing that 86% of British adults find speakerphone usage in shared spaces unacceptable.
Countries worldwide have adopted varying strategies to encourage quietness in public transport. For example, UK train operators have "quiet coaches" where low noise is prioritized, akin to Italy's Trenitalia services, which feature “silent areas” in their business carriage for passengers desiring peace from cell phone disturbances. In Japan, train etiquette mandates silence with strict discouragement against making phone calls, further underlining cultural differences regarding noise in public settings. Similarly, South Korea advises its train users to maintain quiet conversations and use vibration mode on their devices.
