A London woman is speaking out after the London Transit Commission (LTC) refused to exchange her parents' bus tickets because they weren't in strips of five.

LTC fares went up on Jan. 1, but customers have until the end of the month to either use the rest of their tickets and add the difference on the bus, or exchange the old tickets for new ones and pay the difference at a transit office.

Katie Wang's parents have accumulated more than 100 of the old tickets, and asked her to go exchange them while they were away on a trip. When she tried to exchange them, she was told she couldn't because not all the tickets were in intact strips of five, which is how they are sold.

"From my point of view, London transit sold these tickets, they decided to upgrade their fares, but they won't exchange the old ones because they're torn apart, which is not a condition stated anywhere that I've seen," Wang said.

Wang was able to get about $10 back for two intact strips at the downtown LTC office on Dundas Street. She was told maybe someone at the Highbury Avenue office could help her.

The bus tickets that Katie Wang's parents have accumulated. At first, LTC refused to exchange them because they weren't in strips of five. (Submitted)

When she went to the Highbury office, she was also told the tickets had to be in strips of five. One employee even tried to help her find the sequential serial numbers for the tickets, and told her she could get her money back if she taped a group of five together. They were unable to find any tickets with sequential serial numbers.

"One of the people even told me I'm not the only one with this problem," Wang said.

A representative from the LTC called Wang Thursday after she filed a complaint and CBC News called for comment. She was told the decline for reimbursement was in error.

However, on the LTC's frequently asked questions page regarding the Jan. 1 fare increase, the answer to the question "Can I exchange my current tickets for the new ones?" the transit commission states "Exchanges will be made on intact strips of 5 tickets only (exchanges will not be accepted on individual tickets)."

The LTC FAQ page says, 'exchanges will be made on intact strips of 5 tickets only (exchanges will not be accepted on individual tickets).' (LTC)

The LTC also says riders can use up existing tickets by adding 35 cents in change to their fare on the bus until the end of the month, but it's unlikely that Wang's parents would be able to use up their over 100 tickets by then.

'Why did they make this rule?'

Wang's parents are newcomers to Canada and take the bus to English as a second language classes, to the grocery store and to all of their outings. They don't drive.

"They're older, so sometimes they tear a ticket off a strip, and they might misplace it, they buy other tickets, and they find the original ones," Wang said.

"I'm not upset with the employees, because they're just following the rules. I'm upset with whoever made this rule. Why did they make this rule? On what basis?"