Starting from 2021, everyone’s favourite Dutch Railways will be getting rid of a discount that 700,000 people depend on: the NS Voordeeluren season ticket. They will not be getting that 40% discount during the evening rush hour (4 pm to 6:30 pm). This is part of NS’s plan to have fewer people travel during those times, reports NOS. Seriously, NS?
They’re doing a massive overhaul of their season ticket system where they are cutting down the total number of subscriptions from 22 to 11. They are also looking to make the NS Flex into a standard mode of getting subscriptions. They say that they sought the advice of travellers and unions before making these decisions.
Part of cutting down on these subscriptions also includes the NS Voordeeluren subscription: it has not been sold for eight years. However, even though they stopped these sales, existing customers were still able to continue and extend their subscription. Right now, they can use this subscription to travel with a 40% discount during off-peak and evening rush hours. The only thing being scrapped out now is the discount applied during the evening rush hour.
Changes for people over 60 too
They are also changing things up for anyone who avails the “choice days” discount for people over the age of 60. Right now, they can travel at a reduced rate for seven days in a year. However, starting in 2021, they can use this subscription only outside of the off-peak hours. Obviously this is not optimum, which is why they’re opening up the validity for throughout the year.
Why is NS doing this?
As NS is grappling with the reality that more and more people want to use the trains, they are scrambling to make sure there’s enough place for everyone. They believe that with this decision, there will be fewer people during the rush hour. According to NOS, 1 in 14 evening rush hour commuters are in possession of a discount subscription. To be honest, we were expecting that number to be higher, considering how expensive the Dutch Railways can be.
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