116. Redemption of unused passage tickets. Every person who shall have purchased a passage ticket from an authorized agent of a railroad company, which shall not have been used, or shall have been used only in part, may, within thirty days after the date of the sale of said ticket, present the same, unused or partly used, for redemption, at the general office of the railroad company which issued said ticket, or at the ticket office where said ticket was sold, or at the ticket office at the point to which the ticket has been used. If said ticket wholly unused, shall be presented for redemption at the ticket office where sold, the same shall be then and there redeemed by the agent in charge of said ticket office at the price paid for said ticket. If said ticket, partly used, shall be presented for redemption at the ticket office where sold, or at the ticket office at the point to which used, the ticket agent at either of said offices, upon delivery of said ticket, shall issue to the holder thereof a receipt, properly describing said ticket and setting forth the date of the receipt of said ticket, and the name of the person from whom received, and shall thereupon forthwith transmit said ticket for redemption to the general office. It shall be the duty of every railroad company to redeem tickets presented for redemption, as in this section provided for promptly and within not to exceed thirty days from the date of presentation at the general office or from the date of the aforesaid receipt. A wholly unused ticket shall be redeemed at the price paid therefor. A partly used ticket shall be redeemed at a rate which shall be equal to the difference between the price paid for the whole ticket and the cost of a ticket of the same class between the points for which said ticket was actually used. Mileage books shall be redeemed within thirty days after the date of the expiration thereof in the same manner. Provided, however, that nothing herein contained shall be deemed to prohibit the requirement by tariff of advance notice of cancellation as a condition to the redemption or use of passage tickets in connection with which reserve accommodations have been obtained; provided, further, that nothing herein contained shall be deemed to prohibit the establishment by tariff of a service charge for the redemption of wholly unused or partly used tickets. Every railroad company which shall wrongfully refuse redemption, as in this section provided for, shall forfeit to the aggrieved party fifty dollars, which sum may be recovered, together with the amount of redemption money to which the party is entitled, in an action in any court of competent jurisdiction, together with costs; but no such action can be maintained unless commenced within one year after the cause of action accrued.
Last modified: February 3, 2019