West Island man out $350 after overpaying on wrong train ticket
A West Island man is out hundreds of dollars after accidentally buying the wrong Exo train ticket – one worth more than the fare he was supposed to pay.
William Mattsson says he was in a rush one day in October 2022. The then-19-year-old was headed from the West Island to an Alouettes game in downtown Montreal.
"I made the mistake of buying [an unlimited evening] ticket, which is actually more expensive than just a one-way downtown," said Mattsson, now 22.
He tried to explain to the inspector that he mistakenly bought the $5.76 night ticket, not the $3.50 day fare. The inspector initially told Mattsson he would likely receive a reduced fine, but that wasn't the case.
"A couple of days or weeks later, we get the ticket in the mail, and it's a full $272 ticket," he said.
Mattsson mistakenly bought the $5.76 night ticket, not the $3.50 day fare (Kelly Greig / CTV News)His mother, Andrea Laliberte, kept all the paperwork showing he paid for a ticket. She said it was a simple mistake that's now ballooning.
"The machines are confusing. If you're rushing at all, you have to keep scrolling over and over and over to find [the right fare]. And you’ve got A zones, B zones," she said. "We've bought the night ticket twice now instead of the day ticket. So that's easy to do."
The Exo train service said its inspectors were in the right, telling CTV News in a statement, "the person would have noticed that the ticket was not approved since a red light would have flashed on the terminal.
"It is important to say that our trains work on a payment and honour basis since there are no turnstiles on the train platforms," it added.
William Mattsson waits for a train (Kelly Greig / CTV News)Mattsson tried to fight the ticket but claims he was never notified of one of the court dates, meaning the trip that was supposed to cost $3.50 will now cost nearly $350.
"I just – I can't even," said Laliberte. "He's paid $2 more for the ticket, and he's being fined now, at the end of the day, $350."
"I was furious," added Mattsson "Even my mom was kind of yelling and freaking out a bit… we were all pretty shocked and upset."
Mattsson wants to warn others how easy it can be to make this mistake.
"My hands are kind of tied here. There's nothing I can really do except pay the ticket," he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Board orders deportation for trucker in horrific Humboldt Broncos crash
The truck driver who caused the horrific bus crash involving the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team has been ordered to be deported.
Italian teenage computer wizard set to become the first saint of the millennial generation
Pope Francis paved the way for the canonization of the first saint of the millennial generation on Thursday, attributing a second miracle to a 15-year-old Italian computer whiz who died of leukemia in 2006.
Milk sold in Canadian grocery stores tested for avian influenza; results released
As avian flu spreads south of the border, Canadian officials are now testing samples of milk sold in grocery stores across the country.
Morgan Spurlock, Oscar-nominated director of 'Super Size Me,' dies at 53
Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, an Oscar-nominee who made food and American diets his life's work, famously eating only at McDonald's for a month to illustrate the dangers of a fast-food diet, has died. He was 53.
Top Russian military officials are being arrested. Why is it happening?
It began last month with the arrest of a Russian deputy defense minister. Then the head of the ministry’s personnel directorate was hauled into court. This week, two more senior military officials were detained. All face charges of corruption, which they have denied.
Toddler dies after being struck by recycling truck in Barrie, Ont. neighbourhood
A toddler has died after being struck by a recycling truck in a Barrie, Ont. neighbourhood on Thursday afternoon.
Helicopters, impersonations and squeezing through the fence: a brief history of Quebec prison escapes
Friday's warrant for prison inmate Yacine Zouaoui, 32, is the latest in hundreds of reported prison breaks in Quebec. Sometimes, they just walked away; sometimes they went through a fence, and twice they used a helicopter.
Canadian border workers vote in favour of possible strike: union
Border workers have voted in favour of a strike mandate which could lead to 'significant disruptions' to the flow of goods, services and people through Canadian ports of entry, their union said Friday morning.
Defunct Lynx Air selling off life jackets, oxygen masks in bid to recoup losses
Lynx Air is selling off everything from life jackets to oxygen masks as it tries to recoup a portion of the losses it suffered before filing for creditor protection earlier this year.