MPs want more info on €23m OV card issue

State Secretary Wilma Mansveld of Infrastructure and Environment has been asked to clarify the millions of euros that transport companies seem to have made out of travelers who forget to check out with their OV chip cards. GroenLinks has asked Mansveld to detail in writing the figures from a research bureau, who reported €23 million in gains for the companies. De Telegraaf in Thursday reported that Dutch transport companies NS, Arriva and Connexxion make almost €23 million a year in travelers' neglect to check out with their public transport OV chip cards. GroenLinks, SP and D66 believe this money should be refunded to the OV card users. "Letting people structurally pay too much can almost be called theft", MP for GroenLinks Liesbeth van Tongeren said on Thursday. The figures came from independent research bureau Panteia. Travelers' association Rover cannot yet corroborate the results, as the research is not yet finished, but the association does admit that the sum is likely very large. The National Public Transport Council (NOVB), in which transport companies as well as the government are represented, is still busy researching how much the transport companies make from forgetful travelers. Mansveld insists that the end goal should be to remunerate the travelers, her spokesperson said.