Is impoliteness keeping the French away from public transport?

While here in Britain we enjoy cracking the odd joke about impolite French people, it seems the French themselves are starting to get rather irate about it – particularly on the trains.

3000 new ‘politeness inspectors’ are being hired to ensure bad behaviour and general impoliteness is reduced on the nation's state-owned train firm, SNCF. Complaints from passengers about the behaviour of fellow travellers has increased greatly in recent times. Putting feet on seats, using foul language, spitting at conductors, pulling the emergency cord without reason and damaging train interiors are among the most-reported acts. Fines are imposed on transgressors who are caught.

SNCF boss Guillaume Pepy said that bad behaviour posed a genuine problem in getting the French to use public transport instead of their cars.

It seems that, as in the UK perhaps, one of the biggest pleasures of using one's car in France is the ability to avoid the unpleasant behaviour of other travellers. But despite measures such as these, and similar ones imposed on London's Tube network (an on-the-spot fine of 50 pounds for putting your feet on the seats for example), it seems that people are still deeply in love with their cars.

In both the UK and France, the Vehicle roadside assistance industry looks secure for some time, at least until public transport becomes more affordable – and more pleasurable – than travelling by car.