France is often called the rudest country in the world, especially when it comes to tourists, but they're trying to crack down an the rudeness to some extent.
France's railways system, SNCF, is on a mission to cut down on passengers' poor manners by hiring politeness police, the Huffington Post reports.
Passenger complaints about rude behavior has reached an all-time high as complaints increased by 25 percent this year. Some of the bad behavior includes spitting on and insulting ticket takers, putting feet up on the seat, pulling emergency alarms as a prank, talking too loudly on the phone, playing music loudly, couples showing public displays of affection, and damaging train property.
"We aim to tackle offensive or irritating everyday behavior of people who make life a misery for other passengers," an SNCF spokesman told News.com.au.
The newly hired "conflict specialists" will patrol the trains and will warn passengers to stop their bad behavior and will issue fines to those who smoke, put their feet up on the seats, or who damage property.
This isn't the only technique that the train system has used to try to stop bad behavior. Earlier this year, the French public transport authority started a campaign against rude behavior using posters. The large posters featured Parisians looking like animals and engaging in bag behavior while others look on in disgust.
For example, one poster features a sloth who hogged a bus seat. Another had a hen yelling into a cell phone on a crowded bus. Another showed a donkey spitting chewing gum onto a train platform.
France also tried to make their trains a nicer environment in hopes that people wouldn't want to destroy it. They decorated a train to look like the palace of Versailles.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
