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$276,000 in bus fare refunds unclaimed
ONLY a fraction of the passengers overcharged after an error by bus companies have come forward to get their refund - leaving about $276,000 still unclaimed.
So far, only about $24,000 has been collected, out of an estimated $300,000 owed to commuters.
The overcharging came about when bus operators SBS Transit and SMRT wrongly measured the distance between 68 pairs of bus stops.
As of last Thursday, about 28,000 commuters had checked whether they were overcharged, either online or by calling a hotline, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA).
Refunds have been given to about 87,300 cards. The refund process began about 11/2 weeks ago.
Commuters had been paying the wrong fares from July, when a new distance-based fare system kicked in, up till November.
SBS Transit and SMRT had failed to factor in the detours on routes that were affected by roadworks. As a result, some distances were counted to be longer than they actually were.
On average, commuters had paid four cents more than they should have, on every journey passing through the affected bus stops.
When The Straits Times approached 10 commuters at the MRT station and bus interchange in Toa Payoh Central, eight said they had not checked if they were eligible for a refund.
They said they were not interested in getting the money back, or were not sure about the process.
Student Izwan Soerkiman, 18, was one of the few who took the time to try and get a refund.
'I was just trying my luck after topping up my card, and in the end I got four cents back,' he said.
The LTA said that the refund process has been smooth so far, with no long queues.
Commuters have until June 17 to get their refund. They can do so at any TransitLink ticket office or any purple Add Value Machines at bus interchanges and MRT stations.
They can also check if they are eligible for a refund by keying in their 16-digit Contactless ePurse Application Standard card number at www.publictransport.sg or calling the TransitLink Hotline on 1800-225- 5663.
Money left unclaimed after the deadline will be donated to the Public Transport Fund, which helps low-income families with their transport needs.
MARIA ALMENOAR
ONLY a fraction of the passengers overcharged after an error by bus companies have come forward to get their refund - leaving about $276,000 still unclaimed.
So far, only about $24,000 has been collected, out of an estimated $300,000 owed to commuters.
The overcharging came about when bus operators SBS Transit and SMRT wrongly measured the distance between 68 pairs of bus stops.
As of last Thursday, about 28,000 commuters had checked whether they were overcharged, either online or by calling a hotline, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA).
Refunds have been given to about 87,300 cards. The refund process began about 11/2 weeks ago.
Commuters had been paying the wrong fares from July, when a new distance-based fare system kicked in, up till November.
SBS Transit and SMRT had failed to factor in the detours on routes that were affected by roadworks. As a result, some distances were counted to be longer than they actually were.
On average, commuters had paid four cents more than they should have, on every journey passing through the affected bus stops.
When The Straits Times approached 10 commuters at the MRT station and bus interchange in Toa Payoh Central, eight said they had not checked if they were eligible for a refund.
They said they were not interested in getting the money back, or were not sure about the process.
Student Izwan Soerkiman, 18, was one of the few who took the time to try and get a refund.
'I was just trying my luck after topping up my card, and in the end I got four cents back,' he said.
The LTA said that the refund process has been smooth so far, with no long queues.
Commuters have until June 17 to get their refund. They can do so at any TransitLink ticket office or any purple Add Value Machines at bus interchanges and MRT stations.
They can also check if they are eligible for a refund by keying in their 16-digit Contactless ePurse Application Standard card number at www.publictransport.sg or calling the TransitLink Hotline on 1800-225- 5663.
Money left unclaimed after the deadline will be donated to the Public Transport Fund, which helps low-income families with their transport needs.
MARIA ALMENOAR
