The woman who received a $219 ticket after trying and failing to pay for bus fare with a $5 bill is challenging her fine.

Pauline Tantost says the STM should alter its system to accept all forms of legal tender, and not just coins or pre-paid tickets.

The incident happened after Tantost left the the Montreal Children's Hospital on Friday, July 26 after a five-hour stay with her two year-old son.

She attempted to pay the driver of the 108 bus to Verdun with a $5 bill but he refused, pointing out that STM bus drivers are not allowed to handle money, and that the payment machines do not accept bills -- only coins or tickets.

Even though she had not paid her fare Tantost decided to stay on the bus, despite a warning from the driver that she risked a fine.

"I stayed on the bus," said Tantost a few days later, saying the bus driver had already started moving "and I didn't know what to do."

Sure enough a fine is exactly what happened, since STM inspectors boarded the bus as it approached Verdun and demanded proof of payment from everyone on board.

Tantost was fined, and says the officers who gave her the ticket told her she could board the next bus and use the fine since she still did not have any coins.

Instead Tantost carried her son the rest of the way home on foot -- and alerted the media to what had happened when she decided to

 

Union supports paying with paper

In the days since she went public the bus driver's union has come down on Tantost's side, saying the STM should give drivers the flexibility to accept bills as payment for the bus.

Union spokesperson Tommy Moutheros said that contrary to what had been reported, the driver of the 108 bus did not notify inspectors that someone who had not paid was riding the bus.

"There are inspections going on right at this moment. They're all over. It's 24 on 24, the inspections right now," he said. "Inspectors can come on any time and check your ticket. You go anywhere in Europe and it happens like that. Inspectors come on the bus, they check your ticket and she just happened to be there."

For its part the STM has temporarily suspended Tantost's ticket since she filed her complaint and officials will meet with the bus driver and the inspectors who issued the fine.

Regardless of the agency's ultimate decision the STM says it cannot do anything to accept paper bills on buses.

The current model of fare boxes were installed on buses in 2006, when the agency was introducing its OPUS card technology.

Spokespeople argue the fact that buses only accept OPUS cards, coins or tickets is well known, and very common in many cities, not just Montreal.