Passenger's Charter - Refund Policy - Translink
Refund Policy
General Conditions l Section 1 - Standard paper tickets l Section 2 - Smartcards Bus l Section 3 - Annual Commuter Travelcards
General Conditions:
- Applications for refunds must be submitted within 28 days of the expiry date of your ticket, however, some exceptions apply. Please refer to the full terms and conditions given for each ticket type.
- The amount of the refund will normally reflect any use you have made of your ticket and in some circumstances no refund will be payable e.g. where the calculated refund is £1.50 or less.
- Refunds will not be given on any tickets purchased due to a passenger’s failure to prove at the time of ticket purchase that they are entitled to a concession fare (e.g. Senior Citizen, Half-Fare Concession, Student etc). Please note that DRD Smartpass holders must present a valid and working Smartpass in order to obtain their free or half-fare concession ticket. Presentation of a non-working or invalid card is not sufficient to gain free or half-fare concessions on these cards.
- Where commuters fail to produce a valid season or annual ticket for inspection they will be liable to pay the standard fare for their journey which will be non-refundable.
- An administrative charge of 20% of the value of the refund will be applied to all refunds. A minimum charge of £1.50 and a maximum of £5.00 will be applied. After the cost of the used portion of the ticket has been deducted and the 20% administration charge applied, if the remaining amount is £1.50 or less, no refund will be given. There are some exceptions to these administration charges so please refer to the full terms and conditions given for each ticket type.
Section 1 Standard Paper Tickets
Single/Day return tickets purchased for local bus and rail journeys within N Ireland
Single tickets and day return tickets for local journeys are not refundable unless surrendered at the Ticket Sales Office immediately after the departure of the bus or train for which they were purchased. A full refund will be given in this instance.
Cross-Border Bus and Rail Journeys
Refunds are available on all unused cross-border rail ticket types. If you purchase a cross-border bus or rail ticket and then decide not to travel, a full refund will only be given if it is returned immediately to the ticket office from where it was purchased. If you decide not to return it right away or a portion of the ticket has been used for travel, you can apply for a refund at any main bus or rail station. The normal 20% administration fee will be applied.
Rail Season Tickets
If you decide not to use or to stop using a season ticket a refund will only be made if the season ticket is returned to the ticket office from which it was bought. There must be at least 7 days’ validity remaining in the case of a season ticket valid for one month or more when issued, or at least 3 days’ validity remaining in the case of any other season ticket.
Refunds are calculated from the date the season ticket was returned. If, however, it was not possible to hand the ticket in earlier due to illness, a refund will be calculated from the date the illness started, provided that a medical certificate, or other evidence satisfactory to the Company (e.g. a letter from your employer on headed notepaper may be sufficient) is produced, covering the period from the start of the illness until the ticket is handed in.
The refund will be the difference, if any, between:-
(a) the price paid for the season ticket; and
(b) the total cost of the combination of season tickets (if this applies) and any return tickets that were necessary to make one return journey per day up to the date the season ticket was handed in, or when illness commenced if satisfactory evidence is provided.
e.g Sample refund on a season ticket used for 16 days out of month
|
£81.50 |
Original cost of season ticket from point X to point Y | ||
| less |
£47.00 |
(2 weekly tickets @ £23.50 each, covering 14 days travel) | |
| less |
£11.20 |
(2 day returns @ 5.60 each to cover last two days of travel) | |
|
£23.30 |
|||
| less |
£4.66 |
(administration fee of 20% of value of refund) | |
|
|
|
Refunds will not be made on duplicate tickets which have been issued to replace a lost season ticket.
Changing one season ticket for another
If you surrender a season ticket, which on issue was valid for one month or more, when buying another season ticket for a different journey, you will be entitled to a refund on the original ticket, calculated pro rata to the number of days of validity remaining on the date the ticket is handed in.
However, the validity of the new ticket must start on the day after the surrender of the old ticket and must be for a period that is at least as long as that of the original ticket when it was issued. In this instance, we will NOT charge an administration fee.
Lost/Stolen/Mutilated Tickets
Tickets which are stolen, lost, mutilated or defaced, will NOT be eligible for refund.
Group Tickets
In the event of the entire party not travelling, refunds will only be considered on tickets which have been endorsed by a bus/rail official. The standard 20% administration fee will be applied.
Emerald Cards/ Irish Rover Tickets
These tickets are not eligible for refund unless submitted for refund prior to the commencement date of travel stated thereon. The standard 20% administration fee will be applied.
Local & Cross Border Rail Contract Tickets
Refunds are not permitted on contract tickets. However, tickets unused within the validity period may be revalidated at the discretion of the Company in exceptional cases. Applications should be made to the office where tickets were purchased.
Smartcard refunds should be sent by post to the:
Smartlink Office
Translink,
3 Milewater Road
Belfast
BT3 9BG
Smartlink Travelcards & Multi-Journey (MJ) Cards
Smartlink cardholders may, at any time, apply for a refund of the journeys or validity remaining on the card whether or not they have registered their details with the Smartlink Office. Refund claims must be received before the expiry date of the card. The refund is calculated from the date the card was last used as identified on SmarTrak, Translink’s computerised system which records card usage.
For Smartlink Travelcards the refund is calculated on the number of days remaining less the cost per complete day’s travel used or the cost per complete week’s travel used.
For Smartlink Multi-Journey (MJ) Cards the refund is calculated by reimbursing the remaining unused journeys at the Smartlink journey price for the route or zone for which the Smartlink MJ Card was purchased.
The standard administration fee will be deducted and the initial cost of the Smartlink card will not be refunded.
Refunds are not available for days of non-use during the validity period of a Travel Card e.g. public holidays. Refund claims for £1.50 or less will not be accepted.
Refunds on Smartlink Cards presented for refund after the expiry date will be permitted only in exceptional circumstances and at the discretion of the Company.
To apply for a refund on Metro Smartcards, the card holder should apply in writing to the Smartlink Office, Translink, 3 Milewater Road, Belfast BT3 9BG. If you wish you can complete an Application for Refund form available from the Metro Kiosk, Donegall Square West, Europa or Laganside Buscentres to assist you with your application.
To apply for a refund on an Ulsterbus Multi-Journey Smartlink card, the card holder should apply in writing to the Smartlink Office, Translink, 3 Milewater Road, Belfast BT3 9BG.
Changing the route on an Ulsterbus Multi-Journey Smartlink Card
If you wish to change the designated route on an Ulsterbus Multi-Journey Smartlink card, please send your card to the Smartlink Office, 3 Milewater Road, Belfast BT3 9BG.
A refund will be given on any unused journeys or validity remaining on the card. An administration fee will NOT be charged in this case.
Changing from a Metro Smartlink MJ Card to a Travelcard (or vice versa)
If you wish to swap a Multi-Journey Card for a Travelcard or vice versa, please send your card to the Smartlink Office, 3 Milewater Road, Belfast BT3 9BG.
A refund will be given on any unused journeys or validity remaining on the card. An administration fee will NOT be charged in this case.
You can also swap your card at the Metro Kiosk, Donegall Square West, Europa or Laganside Buscentres providing no unused journeys or validity remain on the card.
N.B. If you become eligible for a DRD Concessionary Smartpass and you no longer require your Smartlink Multi-Journey Card or Smartlink Travelcard, you can apply for a refund on any unused journeys as detailed above. In this instance we will not charge an administration fee.
Faulty cards
If a card is faulty and the ticket machine is unable to read the information stored on the card, the appropriate full fare will be charged. The fault should be reported immediately by phoning the Translink Call Centre on Tel: 028 90 66 66 30. The faulty card must be forwarded to the Smartlink Office, Translink, 3 Milewater Road Belfast BT3 9BG together with any ticket(s) purchased for travel. A refund will be issued for ticket(s) purchased for travel plus any remaining journeys calculated as before plus the initial cost of the Smartlink Card. No administration fee will be charged in instances where the Smartlink card has become faulty through no fault of the card holder. The card holder will be required to purchase a new card.
Lost, stolen or damaged cards
If a Smartlink Card is lost, stolen or damaged and hotlisting has been completed, a refund will be made available on the remaining journeys. The refund is calculated two days after the card has been reported to Translink as being lost, stolen or damaged and any unused journeys or unused days are calculated at the appropriate Smartlink rate per journey or day. The standard administration fee will be applied and the initial cost of the Smartlink Card will not be refunded. The cardholder will be required to purchase a new card.
Cards remain the property of Translink. If lost cards are found they should be returned to the Smartlink Office, Translink, 3 Milewater Road, Belfast BT3 9BG
Faulty, Lost or Damaged Senior/Blind Person/War Disabled Smartpasses
If your Smartpass does not register on the ticket machine, the FULL ADULT FARE must be paid and the Smartpass returned to your local bus or rail station or the Ticketing Systems Department at the address below for reissue.
If your Smartpass is FAULTY, a replacement will be issued free of charge within approximately 7 working days. All tickets purchased for travel while your Smartpass is being replaced should be kept and sent to the Ticketing Systems Department for refund.
If your Smartpass is LOST or DAMAGED you must complete a Replacement Smartpass Application Form available from the Ticketing Systems Department or your local bus or rail station. A replacement charge of £6.00 will be applied.
Your replacement Smartpass will be issued within approximately 7 working days. A refund will NOT be given on any tickets purchased while your Smartpass is being replaced.
Ticketing Systems Department
Translink
3 Milewater Road
Belfast
BT3 9BGPhone: 028 9075 9129
Section 3 Annual Commuter Travelcards
Replacement Annual Travelcards
If an Annual Commuter Travelcard is damaged or can no longer be read easily, we will replace it free of charge provided we can confirm it is still valid.
Replacement Travelcards will be issued from the Translink Pass Office, 3 Milewater Road, Belfast (Phone: 028 9035 4074, Fax: 028 9035 4096)
Changes to Original Travelcard
Passengers can make changes to their Annual Commuter Travelcard, for example if they change address or change job. If the journey is longer, the passenger will be charged the appropriate extra fare. If the journey is shorter the appropriate refund will be provided. In both cases, no administration fee will be charged.
Refunds on Annual Commuter Travelcards no longer required
Refunds on Travelcards will only be made provided they are handed in with at least 7 days validity remaining. Refunds are calculated from the date the Travelcard is handed in. An administration fee of £5.00 will be charged.
If, however, it is not possible to hand the Travelcard in earlier because of illness, a refund will be calculated from the date the illness started, provided a medical certificate or other confirming evidence satisfactory to us (for example a letter from their employer on headed notepaper), is produced covering the period from the start of the illness until the Travelcard is handed in.
Refunds up to a maximum of 10 months can be made on Commuter Travelcards.
The basis of refund is not pro rata but is the difference, if any, between:
- The price paid for the Annual Commuter Travelcard, and
- The total cost of the appropriate combination of monthly/40 journey and weekly/10 journey tickets and full return tickets necessary to cover one return journey per day up to the date the Travelcard was handed in, less the administration charge of £5.00.
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