Plans for a new OV chip card have been cooking for a while now — but the project has been delayed until next year. We hope they didn’t lose their train of thought! 🚊
The good news is that you’ll be able to check in and out for the train using nothing but your debit or credit card by the end of this year!
Huh? Widely accepting credit cards in the Netherlands? Who would’ve ever thought?
From then on, people who travel via public transport occasionally won’t have to rely on buying an hourly ticket each time they get on a bus, tram, train or metro. 🚈
New things coming
OVpay, the new system, will be the new way of getting in and out of public transport in the Netherlands.
There will also be an app for it, writes RTL Nieuws, so that travellers won’t even need to carry their wallets to get on board. Leuk!
And while you’ll have to wait until next year to pay through the app itself, payments with a credit or debit card will be possible from the end of 2022.
Wait until next year
Plans for the new OV chip card began in early 2021, which had projected that the card would be usable this summer. 🙈
The delay is due to technical difficulties, which have lengthened the process for six more months, explained Bas van Weele, the program director for public transport payments, to the AD.
READ MORE | The Complete Guide to Public Transport in the Netherlands
Van Weele even projects that the system may only become available in 2024 since they first have to ensure that it’s completely functional and reliable before going to the public.
For now, they are adapting 60,000 gates in various stations and other vehicle card-readers like trams and buses for the new system. So, it seems like they’re right on track. 😉
What do you think of this new system? Do you prefer this or the current one? Tell us why in the comments below!
So would this be like the OMNY system in NYC?