Almost 13,000 commuters have yet to collect more than €500,000 in refunds from Dublin Bus which they are owed as a result of buses being off the road over six days in September due to an industrial dispute.
According to the bus company only 25 per cent of the 17,000 people with annual commuter tickets have applied for a refund of €40 which is due to them as a result of the dispute. Holders of monthly commuter tickers are also in line for refunds.
A company spokeswoman said it had been completely upfront about the process of claiming refunds.
“During the period of industrial action and post-industrial action, we advised customers of our refund process on our social media accounts and a notice was posted on our website,” she said.
“Customers were also advised of the refund by our employees in Dublin Bus head office when carrying out transactions or acquiring information. It was also part of our messaging in media engagement.”
Online refunds
The company has come in for some criticism in recent weeks for not facilitating online or telephone refunds and any commuter wishing to collect the €40 due to them as a result of the strike must make an appearance at the company’s headquarters on Dublin’s O’Connell Street.
In its defence the company has said most customers with annual and monthly passes are in the TaxSaver scheme and don’t use travel credit to pay fares. It says such customers “prefer to be refunded in cash”.
The low take-up of refunds is in line with the number of people who bother seeking money back after overpaying fares on Dublin buses. In 2015 about €1 million over and above actual fares was paid by consumers, many of whom would not have had the exact change for particular journeys.
Of that amount only €200,000 was claimed back in refunds meaning €800,000 was effectively given to the company by the travelling public.
At the height of the recession considerably fewer Irish consumers were willing to let this go: in 2010 and 2011 more than 30 per cent of commuters sought refunds which were owed to them by the company.
