I have written in previous postings about the issue with the new ticket system on the Truro park and ride with multi-day ticket bundles purchased through the First Bus app having short expiry dates, see change to park and ride ticketing and
park and ride fare increases.
Having received no response from the managing director of First South to my emails requesting a refund of the purchase price on my unusable tickets, I have now submitted a formal complaint to Cornwall Council asking for a refund and have threatened to take legal action if I do not receive a refund.
My email to the Council complaints department was as follows:
"Dear Cornwall Council
I wish to complain about an issue with Truro Park and Ride and I request that you refund me for the financial loss that I have incurred.
I have used the park and ride for many years and hold a multi day pass for use when I need to travel. There are currently about a dozen days of travel remaining on the pass.
On 6 February 2023, Cornwall Council fundamentally changed the system for paying for park and ride travel. Instead of purchasing tickets or multi-day passes at the ticket offices at the terminal buildings at Langarth or Tregurra, passengers must now purchase single day tickets on the bus from the driver, or purchase multi-day passes through the First Bus app.
On the park and ride website, it says, “The 5, 20 and 60 day Multi-Day products can be purchased via the First Bus app and will still offer the same great value for regular users of the service.” The implication was that tickets purchased through the First app would have the same terms and conditions as applied to the superseded park and ride passes. The park and ride pass credits have no expiry date on them.
In order to test out the new First Bus app system, I purchased a 5 day pass on 13 February. I had no intention of using the tickets immediately because I still have credits on my old style pass and I am nowadays only an occasional user of the park and ride. I wanted to see how the system worked and planned to use the tickets once the credits on my old style card were used up. However, after completing the purchase through the First Bus app, I found that all 5 of the tickets that I purchased expire in 30 days from the date of purchase. This means that purchasing multi day tickets through the First app is not the same as the system on the old style card where there was no expiry date. I have used none of these 5 tickets and they have now expired.
This problem is not confined to me. It means, for example, that anyone who uses the park and ride once a week and purchases a 5 day pass would find that their fifth ticket would probably expire before they could use it.
I consider that I was mis-sold the tickets. I have emailed the managing director of First South three times asking for a refund of my purchase price. I have received no response from him.
Since the park and ride is a Cornwall Council service, I consider that First Bus are only acting as an agent for the Council and that, therefore, Cornwall Council is the party with whom I essentially entered into a contract when purchasing the 5 day pass from First.
I request a refund from Cornwall Council in the sum of £9 for the useless tickets.
If I do not receive confirmation from the Council by 31 March that they will refund me the money, I will then issue the Council with a formal letter before action requiring you to refund me. I will do this in a written letter as I understand that the Council does not accept emails in respect of legal action.
I look forward to hearing from you.
If anyone would like to pick up the phone and call me to sort out this ridiculous situation, I would be happy to talk to them. However, if I do not hear anything by 31 March, I will pursue my action as above.
Yours sincerely
Bob Egerton”
I will post a further update when I have received a response from the Council.