Presentation

According to the initial protocol signed on 6 March, 1990, Mediation only covered disputes arising as a result of reported offences and complaints only reached the Mediation officer through consumer groups.
This was changed in the protocol of 20 February, 2006, signed by all of the groups, so that customers could take their complaints directly to the Mediation officer. The new protocol also broadened its scope, notably on the application of the transport contract. These two changes effectively tripled the number of complaints made to the Mediation officer in 2006. Complaints made directly by customers now represent the vast majority of the cases it deals with.

Most of the cases received by the Mediation officer relate to reported offences. Although its remit covers other areas like the running of the network and damage incurred on RATP premises ^[1] (excluding personal injury), these complaints only represent a small minority.
A complaint is mainly made to the Mediation officer, therefore, when a decision taken by a company official authorised to take disciplinary action is being disputed. It is clear - aside from the purely economic issue, which can be important to customers who are in a delicate financial situation - that quite a different sort of debate arises with the majority of cases. It involves analysing the facts based on the evidence provided by the parties concerned: the ticket inspector who reported the offence and the customer who is disputing its validity ^[2].
The Mediation officer must attempt to verify the information put forward by each party.
To do this he may further question the customers to obtain more complete information about their requests, and also the staff members, by launching immediate enquiries. With staff members, he will normally ask to see the reports that have been written and signed by the parties involved, with an acknowledgement signed by the manager.
The Mediation officer is impartial and guarantees each party that his decision will take into account all of the information brought to his knowledge.

[1] Mediation protocol of 20 February, 2006.

[2] In this respect, it should be noted that the fact that the Mediation officer rules in the customer's favour is not necessarily enough to "dissipate" their negative feelings toward the staff member who reported the offence, and indeed toward RATP itself, and that the reasons behind the decision taken by the Mediation officer can weigh heavily over the future relationship between the customer and RATP.