New rules for passengers: Ukrzaliznytsia to change ticket refund mechanism
6 February 10:14
Ukrzaliznytsia is introducing updated ticket refund rules to make it more profitable for passengers to return their tickets in advance.
This was announced by the chairman of the board of Ukrzaliznytsia, Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, during a press conference, according to "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to EP.
“Today, 13% of returns occur on the day of departure, which means that passengers who are actually planning a trip often do not have time to purchase tickets,” he said.
According to him, it is currently possible for a passenger to buy two tickets in a sleeper car and then return one on the last day and get almost the full cost back. “As a result, he travels alone in the compartment, and the company loses revenue,” Pertsovsky added.
UZ plans to introduce a scale: the amount refunded to the passenger will depend on how far in advance they cancel their trip. The earlier the ticket is returned, the greater the refund amount.
How the ticket price will be refunded:
- if the ticket is returned 15-20 days before the train’s departure, the funds will be refunded in full;
- 10-14 days before departure, 90% of the ticket price will be refunded;
- 5-9 days before departure – 75% of the ticket price will be refunded;
- 1 to 4 days before departure, 50% of the ticket price will be refunded.
If you return your ticket less than 24 hours before departure, an average of 30% of the fare will be refunded, as is currently the case.
At the same time, as specified by UZ, preferential refund conditions may be applied for military personnel and socially vulnerable groups of passengers, in particular persons with disabilities, as well as trains to frontline territories.
