A man fined for calling a speaker at the French Station

A man says he was fined 200 euros (166 pounds) to call a speaker at the railway station in France.

The man, called only as David, told French television operator BFM that he was calling with his sister at Nant station on Sunday when an employee of SNCF, the French railway company, approached him.

David said he was told that he would be fined 150 euros if he did not exclude the speaker – a fine, which he claims to be later increased to 200 euros as he did not pay it on the spot. Since then, he has hired a lawyer to challenge the sentence.

SNFC has not yet responded to a request for a BBC News comment.

State train company confirmed the fine to French contact La parisienBut it disputes some details about the passenger’s account.

David, reported for 54 years, said he initially closed the phone when he was told about the fine, thinking it was a joke, BFM TV reported.

SNCF describes an escalating interaction between the passenger and its employee before issuing the fine.

According to To ouest-FranceThe incident happened on Sunday.

Although there is no national law in France that prohibits the use of mobile phones in public speaker, there are noise control provisions.

According to the French transport code, those who use “sound devices or instruments” or “violate the peace of others by noise” in areas used for public transport may be fined.

Opinion studies suggest that speaking strongly in a public place is among the behavior, considered most unacceptable when it comes to phone calls.

In a study of 2 005 adults in the UK last year, Pollster Yougov found 86% believe the use of a speaker in a shared environment is unacceptable, while 88% feel the same about speaking strongly.

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 maintain the noise level. For example, the London northeastern rail line asks passengers to travel to such coaches to make sure that the music they are listening to cannot be heard through their headphones and move if they want to call or receive a call.

The Italian train operator Trenitalia offers a similar service on the train Frecciarossa. Passengers who want to travel in complete relaxation and away from mobile noise pollution can travel to a “silent area” in their business transport.

In Japan, where there are strict cultural norms about public behavior, talking on the phone while you are on a train, is considered uncomfortable and very discouraged.

Guidelines for a train label, issued under the website for the railway company in Western Japan, asks passengers not to talk hard on the train and put their phones in Silent Mode, as well as to refrain from making and receiving calls while on the train.

“Talking hard inside trains is an annoyance for loved ones,” the message said.

Meanwhile, the Busan Transport Corporation, located in the city of Busan in South Korea, advises passengers to put their phone in vibration mode and “talk quietly” under the guidance on the railway label published on its website.