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 family of Spanish cruise passengers originally from Barcelona . They are now on a war footing and, from the Catalan capital, are ready to appeal the fine and report the CTM for what they claim was “harassing and threatening treatment” by the ticket inspectors. “The driver told us that we could download the Busfinder app to buy the ticket, and we did,” says Raúl Salas Torres, a member of the cruise passenger family, from Barcelona, “but, while we were trying to complete the registration, two administrative police officers boarded the bus and, without allowing us to finish the procedure, abruptly made us get off, immediately imposing a fine of 159.90 euros. 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.

Tourists even contacted the Spanish consulate in Rome, which said it couldn't do anything about it because the matter wasn't within its jurisdiction. "We don't tolerate this type of behavior, which seriously damages Cagliari's reputation as a tourist destination and conveys the impression that the goal isn't to guarantee a transparent and fair public service, but simply to make money at the expense of tourists. I'm bringing this experience to the public's attention because this situation affects Cagliari's international image and concerns 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 correctness 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 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."

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