Dublin Bus will have to pay refunds to holders of weekly and monthly passes during the period of the drivers' dispute.
Normally Bus Atha Cliath would sell about 15,000 tickets a week. At a cost of £16, these bring in about £240,000 each week. Last week's industrial action took many people by surprise, but a Dublin Bus spokesman said: "Most people didn't buy passes this week because they knew further disturbances were likely."
There are approximately 6,000 monthly pass-holders. These pay an average of £50 and bring Dublin Bus about £300,000 a month. The company says that both weekly ticket-holders and those with monthly tickets will be recompensed at the rate of £2 a day during the stoppages. Those with student passes will be reimbursed at the same rate but schoolchildren's passes will be refunded at the rate of £1 a day of service missed.
Holders of combined DART and bus passes will also be eligible for a refund even if DART services are running. The Dublin Bus spokesman said this would not lead to passengers getting free travel as they would normally have used a combination of both bus and DART services. "As far as we're concerned, we're giving them the payment," he said.
To claim their refunds, pass-holders will be able to present their tickets for a cash payment at the Dublin Bus offices in O'Connell Street. They will also be able to put their passes in prepaid envelopes available at all ticket outlets. Dublin Bus will then post refund cheques to claimants.