In the Netherlands, about one million people travel by public transport. The public transport is used more in urban areas than in rural areas. This can be explained by the fact that does not offer a competitive travel time there. The central government wants public transport to be a good alternative to the car. Therefore, traveling by public transport should be comfortable option.
Do you also want to travel by public transport? You can do so with the OV-chip card. This is a kind of pass, similar to the bank card, which is valid for the bus, tram, subway, train, OV bike and even ferry. You can buy an OV-chip card at stations, tobacco stores or online.
There are two different types of OV-chip: the anonymous card (which is prepaid) and the personalized one. The anonymous OV-chip is valid for a maximum of 5 years and the credit should be at least € 20 when traveling by train.
When boarding a bus, tram, subway, or train, you hold the OV-chip card in front of the screen of a pole or gate. This indicates with a green light and a beep that the OV-chip has been read. When you get off, you check out in the same way. On the display you can immediately see how much credit the trip cost and how much balance you have left.
Usually, the gate is on the platform at smaller stations. Larger stations often have gates at the station entrance (which open when you check in). Don’t forget to check out, otherwise the cost of the ride will continue.
Has your anonymous OV-chip been stolen or lost? Then you cannot block the card. This means that the balance on this card is also lost (or can be used by the finder).
Through the website below you can read more information about the OV-chip:
https://www.ov-chipkaart.nl/home-1.htm#/