Free public transport for children in Amsterdam extended until 2027
By Simone Jacobs
The city of Amsterdam has extended a programme that allows children in the Dutch capital to use public transport for free. From July 2025 until January 2027, Amsterdam children can yet again travel on buses, trams and metros for free.
Amsterdam public transport remains free for children in 2025
After the success of the four-month pilot project in 2023 that saw four to 11-year-olds in Amsterdam receive free public transport, the Dutch municipality offered the service to parents again this summer for six months. The free public transport scheme for children in Amsterdam was initially planned to end in 2025, but now the city has extended it for another 18 months.
From July 12, 2025, until January 3, 2027, parents can get the free travel subscription and have it loaded onto their child’s personal OV-chipkaart. The kids will then be allowed to travel for free on any GVB public transport daily between 7am and 9pm.
Amsterdam invests in free public transport for Dutch children
According to the city traffic councillor Melanie van der Horst, around 17.000 children use the programme, which is why the city has put aside 5,3 million euros for an extension. "In 2023, they made almost a million trips on public transport in the city. This made it easier for them to go out for a day or visit friends in another part of the city,” Van der Horst told AT5. “There is a good chance that children who get to know public transport will continue to use it later on."
Other Dutch cities such as Utrecht and Rotterdam are also conducting trials that allow children to travel for free on public transport. It is an important scheme as public transport becomes more expensive, with fewer families being able to afford the high costs.
Thumb image credit: Baloncici / Shutterstock.com
Never miss a thing!Sign up for our weekly newsletters with important news stories, expat events and special offers.
Editor for the Netherlands at IamExpat Media. Simone studied Genetics and Zoology at the University of Pretoria in South Africa before moving to the Netherlands, where she has been working as a writer and editor since 2022. One thing she loves more than creating content is consuming it, mainly by reading books by the dozen. Other than being a book dragon, she is also a nature lover and enjoys hiking and animal training. Read more