The OV-chipkaart has been around for 10 years this year, but the end of the public transport card is in sight: soon you’ll be able to check in on public transport using your smartphone or debit card.
Translink, the company that runs and operates the OV-chipkaart across the Netherlands, announced this week that travelling by public transport would change over the next few years. The current chipkaart will be replaced by a new card which uses more up-to-date technology, and travellers will be able to choose how they pay for each journey: with their debit card, their credit card, or their mobile phone.
As part of these plans, Translink has launched a trial in Lelystad which would allow travellers to check in and out using their contactless credit or debit card instead of their OV. It is not yet known how long this trial period will last, but it is the second one of its kind to take place - back in 2019, travellers along the train route between The Hague and Leiden successfully tested the same system.
From 2022, a new system called OVpay will be introduced across the country. This year, 100 million euros will be invested in updating the public transport infrastructure and technology to accommodate the new payment methods.
The current OV-chipkaart will therefore be gradually phased out over the next two years, and from 2023, the trusted chipkaart will become obsolete as OVpay officially takes over.