This is What Happens When You Fake

We took a trip to Florence yesterday. It's pretty far from our Villa, so after our tour, we got back on the 7 bus. When you get on, you are required to stamp your bus ticket at the stamp bus ticket station on the bus or you have to pay a fine. Sporadically the cops will come on the bus and ask to see your ticket to make sure you aren't trying to steal a ride to your final destination. We didn't stamp our tickets the first time; we didn't even have tickets to stamp. This time though, off of some whim or some necessity to be an abider of the law, we stamped them. The cops got on two stops later, one on the front and one on the back, and asked each of us individually to see our bus tickets.

So there was this white lady. She hadn't stamped her ticket before when she decided she deserved a seat on the bus more than anyone else. She could have it, whatever. When the cops came on, she decided to rush to the stamp machine and stamp her ticket, trying to be slick. The cop stood in front of her and asked what she thought she was doing. She tried to pull the excuse that she wasn't aware of the rules of the bus ticket stamp and was going to do it now. He told her "too late". She held up the ticket to him and said she didn't understand it because it was in Italian. He asked if she could read English. She said yes. He took out his ticket book and fined her 45 Euros.

The ticket reads:

Da convalidare al momento della salita sulla prima vettura, conservare integro fino alla discesa ed esibire al controllo. Ll biglietto non e cedibile dopo la convalida.

To be validated on boarding the first vehicle, retained intact until alighting and shown on demand. After validation the ticket is not transferable.

SLAM!