Public transportation users in the Netherlands can now make use of a single, national, integrated contactless ticketing system to pay for their train, bus, tram and metro fares throughout the country, with no need to pre-purchase a ticket or top up a travel card.
“You can check in and out anywhere on public transport with a debit card, credit card or the payment app on your mobile,” transportation operator Transdev says. “This has been possible for a while in all Transdev transport areas, but as of today this is possible throughout the Netherlands.”
“Travelling with a debit card is very easy: it works exactly the same as with the public transport chip card. So instead of your public transport chip card, you hold your debit card or phone up to the card reader. Remove the card from your wallet or card holder, so that the correct card is actually read. When checking out, use the same debit card or phone that you used when checking in.
“Good to know: the card reader sees your plastic card and your phone as two different means of payment. Even if they are linked to the same bank account. So, for example, did you check in with your mobile? Check out with your mobile.”