Financing/Pricing data

Fares and ticketing

The public transport in the Netherlands has abolished the paperbased ‘strippenkaart’; nationwide the rollout of the E-ticket was completed by November 3, 2011.

The OV-chipcard is an electronic purse that is used to pay electronically in the public transport and replaces the old paper ticket. The chipcard was launched by the beginning of 2009. It can also be used on the national railnetwork, next to the paper tickets of Dutch Rail. Every passenger needs a pass to travel by bus, trams and metro.

The E-ticket is personified for frequent users and for season tickets but also available at the stations as an anonymous transport ticket, to be validated when entering and alighting bus or tram. For metro and train trips validation of a E-ticket is needed before entering a platform by passing the metro gates.

Fare levels are determined by the Board of the separate regions, except for the national trainservices, that is in the competence of Dutch Railways. Individual PTA’s have the option to approve of fare propositions of operators for specific concessions, target groups, periods or daytrips. With the new electronic ticketing system the number of physical vending locations at stations is reduced. However, electronic possibilities to obtain an E-ticket have become more available (by internet, e-purse reload).

Table of fares 2011 (based on E-ticket)	Single trip center}	Multiple trips	Monthly pass	Yearly pass
Normal fare	€ 1,50*	¹	€ 42,60	€ 426
reduced fare *	€ 0,80*	¹	€ 28,10	€ 281
Unlimited distance (reduced fare^#)²		²	€ 103,95 € 68,80	€ 1039,50 € 686

* based on single trip in Amsterdam city with set kilometerfare for average triplength (5 kilometers) ;
¹ non-existent; available are multimodal daytrip passes for 24-,48- 72- etc. hours ;
² fares except for yearly pass relate to travel distance; fixed initial rate: € 0,79 + € 0,105 per kilometer ;
^# beneficiaries: children aged 4-12 years; elderly 65+, provided in possession of a personified E-card.

Funding of public transport in 2010 : Principles of funding of public transport infrastructure in the Amsterdam City Region.

The responsibility on decisions for financing of new public transport infrastructure lies with:

a- the Amsterdam City Region for projects up with costs up to 225 mio Euros _ b- the Central Government for projects that amounts to costs above 225 mio Euros.

For large scale projects like network extensions for metro, tram or bus infrastructure as a rule the national government is involved in funding schemes. Rolling stock (tram/metro): subsidies are mainly funded out of the regional funding scheme (“BDU”). Except for the funding of heavy rail measurements, obtained from central government budgets.

The financing of rolling stock for buses is a responsibility for the operator and mainly depends on the prescribed requirements in the tendering procedures of bus concessions in our region.

Financing of infrastructure is weighed based on project plans with improvements initiated by municipalities, road traffic managers, fellow authorities or transport operators.

Main criteria for a sound check on a project to qualify for a subvention are:

Useful and (demonstrably) needed
Austere and robust (durability of the measure)
Cost-efficient (positive return on investment)
Effectiveness (travel time profit per passenger)

Contributions from the regional funding scheme are not fixed to any specific mode of transport in the sector. Specific barriers between funding of public transport as opposed to infrastructure for cycling paths, storage facilities, road safety and mobility management provisions on the other hand have been relieved. All traffic and transport funding is bundled into one programme budget (BDU).

Maximum subventions for public transport related improvement plans is limited to 95% as for maximum of 50% of project costs related to measures for cycling, walking, road building and safety.