Dutch railway company NS is to test a system whereby people who forget to check out at the end of their journey can claim back the basic fee.

The smart cards used for public transport in the Netherlands carry a basic fee which ranges from €20 for train travel to €4 for buses and trams. The amount is automatically deducted when the card is first swiped.

If passengers forget to check out, they do not get back the money which they have not spent on travelling.

The lost money can be reclaimed but most people find all the filling in of forms too much bother.

The NS is to test a system whereby these passengers receive an email within a few days and can then get the basic fee back from one of the smart card top-up machines, free newspaper Metro reports.

The service, which will be called NS Extra, will be tested with 10,000 people who travel daily on the same route, the paper says.

Dutch public transport firms are earning €23m a year from passengers who forget to check out, half of which goes to the NS.

(Photo: Maurits Vink via Wikimedia Commons)