Transport firms earn €30m a year from people who don’t check out

Public transport companies are earning a combined €30m a year from passengers who forget to check out with their smart card tickets when leaving a bus, tram or train, the Telegraaf reports on Monday.

The paper bases its claim on its own sources, saying around 1% of travellers forget to check out. This means they lose the €4 deducted from their cards at the start of a bus, tram or metro journey, or €20 for train trips.

When passengers check out, the real cost of their journey is calculated automatically and the surplus cash – if any – returned.

Transport firms have admitted they do earn money on forgetful passengers but say the current smart card system is unnecessarily complicated and expensive to run, the Telegraaf said.

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