TransLink is set to reclaim $6.7 million from Go Cards which have not been used for half a decade.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Unregistered Go Card balances are recovered by TransLink after five years of inactivity.
In the 2017-18 year, about $6.7 million on more than 780,000 Go Cards was forecast to be recovered by TransLink.
That was about $4.7 million higher than was expected and was partly due to clearing a "backlog" from the 2016-17 year.
State budget papers revealed a "higher than anticipated revenue received from unclaimed Go Card balances and deposits on unused cards" over the past year.
In 2016-17, about $8.2 million on more than 940,000 Go Cards was recovered.
A TransLink spokesman said all money recovered from inactive Go Cards were reinvested in public transport to improve the network.
"Customers can still obtain a full refund of unused funds, at any time, even after the balance has been transferred to TransLink [by completing an online form]," he said.
In 2014, former transport minister Scott Emerson announced Go Card funds which had not been used for more than five years would be reinvested back into public transport.
Under the previous laws, there was the option for unclaimed Go Card money to be transferred to the Public Trustee after only two years of inactivity.
But Mr Emerson said that time frame was too short, and instead of the funds remaining dormant, they could be reinvested back into public transport.
At the time, there were 65,000 cards which had remained dormant for more than five years, with just 168 people applying for a refund.
The Queensland government is investigating a new ticketing option, which could allow people to pay for fares using credit cards or smartphones.
