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I live in Barcelona / Spain and recently got fined in a Metro for something I had no idea was illegal.

I entered the Metro zone with my girlefriend and we both used the same card (It's legal with that card - T-10). Therefore I had two timestamps left on the card one after another.

My girlfriend left the metro one station before me, and as she was walking towards the exit she got stopped by the control. She didn't have the ticket as the ticket was with me, and she got fined.

Overall: The rule that you have to exit the area together is nowhere to be found in the Metro area, how ever it can be found on their website.

On the metro, you should stay together for the whole journey , from the entry point station until leaving the metro premises.

I wouldn't mind paying the ticket if the rule was clearly visible either on a ticket, or in a metro area - which is not a case.

I went to their office to complain and when I asked them where is that rule, they replied: "Well... It's logical..."

Are there valid defenses to this rule that could be used?

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    What does the penalty notice say? If it says "unpaid fare" you might get somewhere, but if it says "not having a valid ticket", it sounds like that's exactly what your girlfriend did from the moment she was no longer with the ticket holder. – ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere Jan 28 '19 at 13:25
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Unfortunately, your chances are nil.

There are panels on every metro station where tickets and fares are listed, and on those a summary of the conditions is posted and a pointer to where to get the full conditions: not only the web but also at the customer centers.

Nonetheless, the ATM ticket conditions are also published at the DOGC, short for Diari Oficial de la Generalitat de Catalunya. That's where all laws are published and, although in reality almost no one reads that, whatever gets published there is assumed to be known for all citizens. It's the basis for the "not knowing the law does not allow you to not obey it" principle.

By the way, the T-10 usage condition (or any other ticket that allows shared use like T-70/30) state that, if used by more than one person at once, all of them have to make the same exact journey: enter all at the same station, exit all at the same station.

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  • I just checked the panels today and this is what I can say. Nowhere is stated that two people traveling together using T-10 must also exit together. Another points which might cause the confusion are: "Traveling without a valid ticket will incur a penalty fare of 100euro". This is only visible in train, therefore 'traveling' could be interpreted as traveling using the train (not exiting the Metro). Because of that sign I thought the control is done in the train, not at the exit area. – Dino Jan 28 '19 at 20:06
  • Another point: “All customers should conserve their tickets until the end of the journey and show it when required to so so by any company employee”. What exactly is end of the journey? Is walking outside of the metro area still a journey? When you put it like that, it doesn't sound that it is. I'm not saying I am 100% right, but the rules are not perfectly clear and could be miss leading. Maybe they should make them more clear, or control should operate near the tracks, and not near the exit area..? – Dino Jan 28 '19 at 20:09

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