Faulty NS checkout pole had people paying 5 times more for replacement bus trip

Public transport users who traveled between Alphen aan den Rijn and Gouda on the NS replacement bus should check their travel expenses. A mobile check-in and check-out pole still had its location set to Bergen op Zoom, resulting in travelers paying about five times more than they should have for the trip, Omroep West reports.

Due to work on the track, NS ran buses instead of trains between Alphen aan den Rijn and Gouda from Thursday to Sunday, 13 to 16 July. It placed the mobile pole for checking in and out of the replacement bus at Alphen aan den Rijn station. But somehow, the pole’s location was still set to Bergen op Zoon station, where it stood a month ago.

NS is investigating what went wrong, a spokesperson said to the broadcaster. The extra costs vary per subscription, he said. But for comparison, a standard train ticket from Alphen aan den Rijn to Gouda costs about 5 euros. A ticket from Alphen aan den Rijn to Bergen op Zoom costs about 19 euros.

Travelers affected by this error can contact NS customer service. “Then we’ll obviously fix the mistake,” the spokesperson said. He can’t say how many people were affected, but not many have come forward so far.