They wanted to go for a swim at Poetto and boarded the Poetto Express bus on Viale Diaz. After two stops, ticket inspectors arrived and fined them for not having purchased tickets. This is what happened on the morning of August 5th to a Spanish family of cruise passengers originally from Barcelona. They are now on the warpath and, from the Catalan capital, are ready to appeal the fine and sue the CTM for what they claim was "harassing and threatening treatment" by the ticket inspectors.
"The driver told us we could download the Busfinder app to buy the ticket, and we did," says Raúl Salas Torres, a member of the cruise ship family, from Barcelona. "But as we were trying to complete the registration, two administrative police officers boarded the bus and, without allowing us to complete the process, abruptly made us get off, immediately imposing a €159.90 fine. We were humiliated and intimidated. They threatened to call the police and hold us until we paid, causing my wife (who is diabetic) to feel unwell and my ten-year-old son to suffer an anxiety attack. We were forced to pay so as not to miss the cruise. The CTM responded automatically to our complaint." The tourists even contacted the Spanish consulate in Rome, which said it couldn't do anything about the matter because it wasn't within its jurisdiction. We do not tolerate this type of behavior, which seriously damages the city of Cagliari's reputation as a tourist destination and conveys the impression that the goal is not to guarantee a transparent and fair public service, but simply to make money at the expense of tourists. I am bringing this experience to the public's attention because this situation affects Cagliari's international image and affects the entire local community, as well as the institutions responsible for protecting coexistence and tourism.
CTM rejects the accusations against ticket inspectors and states: "The company regularly checks tickets on board its vehicles, in compliance with regulations and with the aim of ensuring fairness and integrity for all passengers. As required by current regulations, tickets must be purchased before boarding and must be valid and active when boarding the bus. It is not possible to initiate the purchase process on board, but it is possible to validate a ticket already purchased via the Busfinder and AroundSardinia apps, automatic ticket machines, and the extensive network of authorized retailers. On the Poetto Express line, specifically to facilitate tourists, CTM has made on-board ticket sales possible via electronic cards. The ticket inspectors are administrative police officers and conduct themselves professionally towards passengers. Payment of the fine on board has a conciliatory effect and is equivalent to an admission of guilt by the fined party. Therefore, no appeal can be made as the payment has a discharge effect and definitively concludes the administrative sanctioning procedure."
