Vy og Ruter in Oslo will charge NOK 270 in invoice fees from 1 October for passengers who are picked up without a ticket and who do not pay on the spot. The collective company Kolumbus in Rogaland has announced that they will do the same from the new year. – This is one of the highest invoice fees I have seen. It’s a kind of unfortunate Norwegian record, says specialist director Jorge Jensen at the Consumer Council. Subject director at the Consumer Council, Jorge Jensen. Photo: Consumer Council He is aware that this is not legal. In the Financial Agreements Act, which was introduced on 1 January this year, it is clearly stated that the fee cannot be higher than the actual costs incurred by the company sending them out, according to Jensen. He states that the public transport company can outsource the work to companies that charge NOK 10 to send out an invoice. So NOK 270 is highly unreasonable. – Is it illegal to charge such a high invoice fee? – Yes, these companies have charged a fee that is not in line with the regulations, says Jensen. Kolumbus, the county public transport company in Rogaland, has notified the same invoice fee as Ruter and Vy. This will take place from 1 January 2024. The Financial Agreements Act on the amount of fees for sending invoices § 2-4. Fees for the use of a payment instrument and means of payment 2. If a payee demands a fee for the use of a specific payment instrument or means of payment from a consumer, the the fee does not exceed the payee’s actual cost when using the payment instrument or means of payment. 3. If the fee also includes issuing and possibly sending a bill to the consumer, this part of the fee cannot exceed the payee’s actual cost of issuing and sending the bill. The King can by regulation prohibit or limit the right to charge fees as mentioned in the first and third sentence in order to promote competition and the use of effective payment instruments. Passengers react Madli Must Nybø and Kristoffer Mathias Botnen Gustafson have just arrived by bus from the city center to the University of Stavanger at Ullandhaug. – When I see that it costs so much to send an invoice, it looks like the purpose is to pressure people to pay on the spot. Then it is more difficult to complain afterwards, since you have already sent the money from you, says Botnen. Madli Must Nybø and Kristoffer Mattias Botnen Gustafsson Photo: Ingvald Nordmark / news Nybø thinks of those who do not have money in their account to settle for themselves immediately. – It is stupid that it should affect the poorest, she says. Using a different law – We are happy to have a dialogue with the Consumer Council about our practice, says Cathrine Myhren-Haugen, communications manager at Ruter. Cathrine Myhren-Haugen, communications manager at Ruter. Photo: Ruter She points out that in May this year the Ministry of Transport approved that Ruter could increase the surcharge, and that the Norwegian Consumer Protection Authority had no critical input on the application at the time. – The fee must also have a preventive effect and help ensure that as many people as possible travel with a valid ticket, says Myhren-Haugen, who emphasizes that Ruter does not make money from the invoice fee. When it comes to the purely legal, Ruter refers to the Occupational Transport Act instead of the Financial Agreements Act, which the Consumer Council believes is the right one. Communications officer Morten Nesvik in Kolumbus Photo: Thomas Ystrøm / news Communications advisor in Kolumbus, Morten Nesvik, says that it is too early for the company to comment on this matter. They will only do so when they receive final approval from the Ministry of Transport and Communications. Should consider repayment In principle, people can refuse to pay such a high invoice fee, says Jensen of the Consumer Council. He says at the same time that it can be troublesome for the person who collects, but rejects that the current regulations approve the collection of this invoice fee. – What should the public transport company do now, in your opinion? – First of all, the companies must stop charging so much in invoice fees. Then they have to assess how many people who have already paid the fee will get their money back, says Jensen. The Consumer Council does not criticize the ticket controls. It is the size of the fee for sending an invoice, which they believe is illegal. Photo: Johan Mihle Laugaland / news He says that this is an important area for the Consumer Council to distinguish itself in. NOK 2–300 seems to be small amounts. But in total NOK 4 billion is paid in fees every year in this country, says Jensen.
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Collective company Ruter og Vy charges illegally high invoice fees – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
