Travellers on Dutch public transport are losing millions of euros, according to figures supplied to the Association of Regional Newspapers (GPD) by the transport companies.

Since the replacement of paper tickets on bus, tram and metro by a smart card or chip card, passengers have lost huge amounts of money by forgetting to swipe the card when leaving. As a result they continue to be charged after they have finished their journeys.

The transport companies say they are not making a profit this way, since it costs them money to refund the excess fares. However, in Amsterdam, where passengers forget to check out around 100,000 times a month, only ten percent of passengers apply for a refund.

© Radio Netherlands Worldwide