No ticket? Dutch public transport will now fine you €70 (and AI’s watching)

Caught without a ticket on a Dutch train, tram, metro, or bus? That fine is about to hit your wallet €20 harder.

From today (October 1) onwards, the NS reports that various public transport services will be deploying stricter action against passengers who travel without a valid ticket.

Citing the fact that fare dodgers are often “a source of nuisance and aggression”, NS Director of Operations, Eelco van Asch, hopes the latest measures make public transport “safe and fair for everyone.”

Fines are rising, both in value and quantity

The fine for travelling on Dutch trains, buses, trams, and metros without a valid ticket has now jumped from €50 to €70.

While this figure hasn’t been adjusted since 2016, the number of offenders on Dutch trains alone has increased astronomically.

In 2022, nearly 181,000 rail passengers were fined for dodging fares. Just two years later, that number almost doubled, with a whopping 353,000 passengers receiving a fine for not having a valid ticket. NS projections expect that number to jump to 400,000 by the end of this year.

And let op: if you’re an NS commuter and fail to pay your fine within 14 days, administrative costs have also increased. You’ll now pay an extra €20 for late payments.

AI rail predictions will also join the fight

But steeper fines aren’t the only tool in the NS’ arsenal.

Thanks to AI, the NS can predict the routes and times most commonly chosen by fare dodgers.

From today onwards, you can likely expect plainclothes Safety & Service staff to conduct more frequent checks along troublesome routes or at certain stations.

This may also include “stop and go” operations, where a train is stopped at a platform and every passenger’s ticket is scanned. Helaas, for some of us, this will likely involve even longer commuting times.

Do you agree with the NS’ latest measures against fare evasion? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!