Consumer groups of the OV-Chipkaart are outraged to learn that the company, Trans Link Systems B.V. has made a profit of 55 million euros within the last five years.
The company claimed that the 7,50 euros covered the costs of a single OV-Chipkaart, however, it has now come to be known that the card only costs 88 cents to produce.
The company produces more than 3 million OV-Chipkaarts per year, and the catch is that each has an expiry date meaning that after five years, every customer has to commit to buying a new one.
Whilst Trans Link Systems B.V. had experienced a loss in the first few years of operation, they quickly recovered, in fact, so well, that they made selling OV-Chipkaarts as lucrative as selling iPhones, according to the Telegraaf.
Bert van Wee reinstates this by claiming that the five-year expiration date is also "non-sense" and compares it with similar cards in other countries that not only cost less, but also last a lot longer.
Chairman Arien Kruyt of Rover, the Travellers Public Transport Association (Vereniging Reizigers Openbaar Vervoer) stated, "That much profit? I had no idea. 7,50 euros for an OV-Chipkaart is too much."
Kruyt would like to see a reduction in the cost of an OV-Chipkaart as well as a free renewal.
According to Sandra de Jong of the Consumers Association (Consumentenbond), the card should be cheaper, last longer, replacements should be free and people should be able to get the money they will no longer use off of their cards without paying a fee.