By Jay B. Hilotin gulfnews.com
A Metro passenger is demanding reimbursement, claiming he was overcharged over several weeks for his rides.
Patrick Francis, a regular commuter, said that the tariff from Ibn Battuta to Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT) station used to be just Dh2.30 as it’s within one zone. But he cited “evidence” that he’s been charged Dh4.10 – nearly 80 per cent more – for an eight-minute ride from JLT to Ibn Battuta station between 3.08pm and 3.16pm on July 2.
“This has been happening over the last two to three weeks,” said the Indian executive who lives in Discovery Gardens and works at JLT. He also claimed that the charge for the feeder bus from Ibn Battuta Metro Station to Discovery Gardens has been “raised” to Dh4.10, again offering his Nol card usage history as proof.
41% more
Meanwhile, he said the original fare from Ibn Battuta to Financial Centre is Dh4.10, but he was charged Dh5.80, 41 per cent more.
Another regular Metro user who didn’t want to be named claimed that the fare from Ibn Battuta to Deira City Centre used to be just Dh4.60, but he said he was being charged Dh5.80 since March, 26 per cent more.
When XPRESS contacted Ramadan Abdullah, Rail Operations Director under the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) he said there the Rail Agency had not increased tariffs, adding they had ways to deal with complaints of overcharging.
“We have not changed or increased any fares for the public,” said Abdullah.
“Also, if customers are in doubt about their journey and charges, they can go to any Metro station ticket office and discuss with them to clarify and they [the customer] can be assisted.”
However, Francis insisted that the staff at the Metro ticket booth in Ibn Battuta were of no help.
“One told me there are some ‘technical glitches’ causing this. Another person said the tariffs had been revised, and a third said she did not know anything [about the problem],” said Francis.
Abdullah said ticket office agents needed a reasonable amount of time to check on complaints. “Complaints come through the system to the concerned agency. If it’s valid after verification, our customers will be refunded.”
How to complain:
Lodge a complaint with the RTA Call Centre 800 9090 by providing Nol usage history (can be requested from the Metro station counter)
Go to any Metro station or bus ticket office and register a complaint
