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University Clubs, A La Francaise

Los Angeles Times.

… The fare dodgers who jump the turnstiles or sneak in through exit barriers on the Paris Métro are as much a fixture of the city as the subway itself.

Those caught without a proper ticket, though, face fines of up to $60. What’s a poor freeloader to do?

The answer, in the land that gave the world the motto “All for one, one for all,” is typically French: Freeloaders banded together to set up what essentially are scofflaw insurance funds, seasoned with a dollop of revolutionary fervor.

For about $8.50 a month, those who join one of these raffish-sounding mutuelles des fraudeurs can rest easy knowing that, if they are busted for refusing to pay to use public transit, the fund will cough up the money for the fine.

… At least six or seven such funds now exist throughout Paris, some based at universities, others organized by arrondissement, or district…

Margaret Soltan, June 25, 2010 12:02PM
Posted in: foreign universities

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One Response to “University Clubs, A La Francaise”

  1. DM Says:

    Last time I checked, it was illegal to purchase or provide insurance for the purposes of paying criminal fines.

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