The Dutch railway operator NS has announced the launch of a contactless open-ended fare payment system as part of its OVpay service.
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Passengers traveling by rail in the Netherlands were able to pay for a second-class train fare at full fare using a physical or digital debit or credit card by touching the reader at the beginning and at the end of the trip.
The OVpay service supports payments by OV transit cards and mobile tickets, in most of the Netherlands. By the end of March 2023, this payment system will be available throughout the country.
In addition to NS, from January 31, it is also possible to travel with a debit card on the Qbuzz (Merwedelijn) and Arriva (Limburg) trains. This is stated in the official press release of the Dutch railway operator.
This payment system is available for use without any preconditions. A permanent subscription to the service is also not necessary.
NS announced plans to test the contactless payment system in August last year. Then the company stated that it had drawn conclusions after the implementation of the relevant pilot project and improved the technology so that the payment process was as simple as possible.
Last year, NS tested the system on a limited number of passengers with the aim of subsequently introducing contactless open-loop tickets throughout its national network for all users. Testing was carried out at stations in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Hague, Utrecht, Hertogenbosch, and Delft.
NS continuously invests in modern and reliable trains. The company’s ideology is that high-quality, safe, and comfortable transport is vital to meet the needs of customers. The firm also holds the opinion that the experience of a trip can be positive only if well-equipped railway stations are. The company is convinced that when forming a passenger’s overall assessment of the journey, the station is no less important than the train.
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