A BUS company has promised customers who were given fake tickets will not be left stranded.

Brighton and Hove Buses says anyone who boards a vehicle with a counterfeit ticket they bought in good faith will be given a one-day saver ticket as a one-time free deal.

The company found itself the victim of a counterfeit scheme which has led to five arrests and an investigation by Sussex Police.

Bus drivers have been instructed how to spot the counterfeits and are taking them from customers each time they come across one of the tickets.

The company, which informed the police about the scam, has also written to its authorised newsagents to warn them of the counterfeit operation.

Managing director Martin Harris said: “It’s a very difficult situation for us.

“We simply can’t accept counterfeit tickets for obvious reasons.

“This sort of criminal activity is bad news for everyone.

“Customers who might have been duped have had their cash taken by these criminals.

“It also affects our ability to upgrade services so we can provide the best bus service possible.

“This means customers lose out again.

“But we absolutely don’t want anyone stranded on a journey after we’ve taken the fake ticket away so we’re issuing the one-day network savers to get people to and from their day’s business.

“Unfortunately it’s not possible for us to offer ‘refunds’ for fake tickets to those customers who were duped into thinking they were real because we didn’t sell the tickets, they weren’t our tickets and we never collected that money from them in the first place.

“We’ve also been duped.

“It’s a very, very unfortunate situation.”

The company says it has been working closely with police to catch the people responsible and has been passing all information it has about where customers have bought fake tickets.

The company has also asked its authorised agents who sell tickets on its behalf who may have been approached by the counterfeiters to contact police.

Anyone with information can report online at sussex.police.uk/appealresponse or, call 101 quoting serial number 1638 of 11/5.

Authorised tickets can be bought directly from Brighton and Hove’s offices at Conway Street, Hove, or from one of its listed agents.

People also have the option of using a key card or a mobile app.

For more ticket information go to the company’s website at buses.co.uk and click on tickets.