Delays, chaos and canceled departures. January has been a tough month for those traveling with Ruter in Oslo and Akershus. The travelers should be compensated for that, the Consumer Council believes. Not good enough Since Ruter was unable to deliver the public transport for which they sold tickets, travelers should get their money back. That’s what Thomas Iversen, senior advisor at the Consumer Council, says. WANTS IMPROVEMENT: The Consumer Council’s Iversen hopes Ruter cleans things up. – It is a fundamental rule in contract law that agreements must be kept. If the agreement is not kept, one must be compensated in some way. But Ruter’s rules do not allow for this. They will not refund money for weekly passes, monthly passes or annual passes to travelers who were not satisfied. This is how reimbursement works at Ruter Ruter has two forms of compensation: What is the Travel Guarantee? If you are delayed by more than 20 minutes because Ruter is not on schedule, they reimburse documented expenses of up to NOK 750 if the conditions are met. What is the refund rule? Routes refund for days in the future. This means that if, for example, you have had the monthly card for two weeks and no longer want it, you can apply for a refund for the number of remaining days. Then you can get the money back for the future, unused days on the card. There is thus no possibility of complaining afterwards to Ruter. You cannot get compensation from them for poor public transport on days that have been. That is not good enough, replies the Consumer Council. People we meet in the center of Oslo don’t think so either: Ida Theresa Myklebost / news Isabel Elhirch – I think it’s very poor service. Ruter should without a doubt refund if the customer is not satisfied. There have been terrible settings this winter, and there are not enough taxis for everyone, so the Travel Guarantee only works to a certain extent. Ida Theresa Myklebost / news Ali Nough – I feel like I’m being stolen from, I’m not getting what I paid for. I certainly wish I had the right to get money back for the period card. Ida Theresa Myklebost / news Ingjerd Oudenstad – I’m actually very happy with Ruter, but that’s exactly what I wasn’t aware of. It sounds unreasonable and I had complained about it. Like an apartment with pests Thomas Iversen of the Consumer Council compares this to renting an apartment with pests. Or if you buy clothes that are quickly destroyed. He explains that then those who deliver the goods must sort out the problem, or provide compensation. – The system that exists at Ruter today is not satisfactory in that it does not provide any compensation for a worse service offer than what you were presented with, says Iversen. Ruter will not Ruter confirms that they do not give money back for journeys or days that have been. No matter if the bus came or not. – So that means that if you have bought an item from routes, for example a monthly pass, and there are many delays and adjustments that month, then you cannot get a refund for the item you have not received? – You only get back the days you have left on the card, yes, says Ruter’s communications manager, Cathrine Myhren. – Even if you haven’t received the item in the past few days? – Yes, our refund requirements apply to the number of days remaining, we only refund those. WILL NOT REFUND: Ruter’s rules are that they do not refund period cards, even if the service has not been delivered. Photo: Hallgeir Braastad All the money Ruter has goes directly back to the public transport system, says Ruter. – If we are to pay back money to the dissatisfied customers, it will go directly beyond the offer to the passengers. We need additional grants from our owners in Oslo municipality and Akershus county municipality if the residents are to get money back or a reduction in the price, she says. Other companies give refunds But other companies in Eastern Norway give money back: VY gives money back for the specific departure that is canceled or delayed. Brakar in Buskerud says they are giving money back for the whole day there has been trouble with public transport. Østfold public transport provides a refund for the entire period card if there has been a period with many delays and cancellations. Should Ruter refund period cards afterwards? Yes, it’s good customer service No, I understand that they can’t afford it Show result Problems with the Travel Guarantee Ruter has, however, paid over two million in reimbursement for the January chaos via the Travel Guarantee. But that is working in the wrong direction, the Consumer Council believes. – The travel guarantee must be an additional offer in addition to the normal right to reimbursement. It should not replace the basic and flexible right to complain about a product and to get a refund, says Iversen. He is surprised that Ruter gives a refund for taxi driving, but not for the monthly card. – We don’t want people to drive as many taxis as possible to get compensation. This is going in the wrong direction, says Iversen. In addition, the Travel Guarantee does not always work. When things go as wrong as in January, and everyone is supposed to get a taxi at the same time, there are many who don’t get one. Then you cannot also take away people’s opportunity to ask for a regular refund. – In practice, you risk a total absence of the possibility of getting a refund for a product that is not delivered. Therefore, the customer has no real way to complain. They can neither get the money back nor alternative transport, he believes. IS THE BUS COMING? Many people have been standing in the cold waiting for a bus lately. Photo: Mariam Eltervåg Cissé – Doesn’t build trust The travel guarantee is nice to have, but it is not enough on its own, concludes the Consumer Council. – I say like Winnie the Pooh: yes, thank you, both. Routes must be obliged to arrange alternative transport, and if there is a persistently poor offer, they should give a discount. It would be natural if Ruter had a duty to reimburse its customers, the Consumer Council believes. – After the winter we’ve already had, it doesn’t help Ruter to be difficult about this. It does not build trust in the public transport system, says Iversen.
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The Consumer Council criticizes Ruter – Stor-Oslo
