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We already knew about 'adult only' hotels and cruises, as well as some casual restaurants here and there, but trains were still missing from the list of places where children are not allowed. And so now, in France, it's the trains' turn: the new Optimum offer for business travellers on the new TGV high-speed Paris-Lyon trains actually excludes children under 12.
On the page describing the Optimum offer, the railway company indicated (indicated, because there is no trace of it any longer) that 'children' have no 'access' to these classes.
What happened
The controversy arose because of a sentence in the terms of sale of the new Optimum Plus class of the TGV Paris-Lyon:
"To ensure maximum comfort in the dedicated spaces, children are not permitted..
That sentence was then picked up by a podcast and by an association highly followed in France ('Les Adultes de demain'), which explained it as proof that the SNCF was introducing 'no kids' zones on trains, in line with the trend already widespread in hotels and restaurants to ban children to guarantee adults peace and quiet.
From then on, the media storm erupted, with accusations of discrimination and hostility towards families. The accusations stated that it would be a 'dangerous' move for the birth rate and made comparisons with public places forbidden to minors. The crux of the matter, however, is that it's not about entire carriages being 'banned for children', let alone TGVs without minors on board.
It is about:
- 39 seats, i.e. about 8% of capacity
- trains from Monday to Friday only
- on a single line (Paris-Lyon)
- a class intended for business travellers
- seats which previously existed under the name Business Première
So was the commotion caused by the unfortunate wording ('children are not permitted') rather than a truly general exclusion policy? In fact, it all stems from one sentence in the terms of sale:
"In order to ensure maximum comfort in the dedicated space, children are not permitted", essentially a minor communication error.
The SNCF's response
"No, children are not excluded from our TGVs."
Optimum Plus represents only 8% of the seats available on trains from Monday to Friday. Specifically, it represents 39 seats on trains with between 510 and 634 seats. This means that 92% of the seats remain accessible to all on weekdays and 100% of the seats on weekends.
Moreover, following the criticism, the company clarified that access to the Optimum Plus class is allowed from the age of 12, a clarification that was not initially explicit in the terms of sale.
SNCF also stresses that it has always rejected requests to introduce carriages completely banned for children:
"We have never accepted the many requests from customers asking for carriages without minors. The train is a communal living space, open to everyone."
The company also recalls that every TGV has changing and baby facilities and special family carriages. In short, there are no TGVs that are "forbidden for children" and no completely off limits carriages either. There's a small premium area, with a limited number of seats, on weekdays, on a single line, meant for professional needs.
The real fuse in the powder keg was a message taken out of context, turning a limited commercial choice into a powerful cultural symbol and making the measure come across as a form of ideological exclusion.
And in a climate already sensitive to the "no kids" issue, that was enough to set off the media fire.
(©GreenMe.it/Managing Editor: Selma Kershkire- The Press Junction/Picture: Snap Wander via Unsplash)