# Just over 28% of public transport trips now use OVpay

> State Secretary Bertram says the switch from the OV-chipkaart to paying by bank card is being rolled out in phases. The aim is to finish as far as possible in 2027, but NS products, the student travel product and business products have still to move over.

Politics · published 2026-11-05 08:43 · https://nlnow.nl/a/over-28-of-dutch-public-transport-trips-now-use-ovpay/

Just over 28% of all public transport journeys in the Netherlands were made with OVpay by mid-October 2026, State Secretary Bertram of Infrastructure and Water Management told parliament in answers to written questions. Among travellers paying the full fare, the share is just over 64%.

**Why it matters**

- Most subscriptions of city and regional operators have moved from OV-chip to OVpay and work on the bank card and/or OV-pas.
- With one exception, all subscriptions and discount products of these operators are available in OVpay.
- NS products, the student travel product and various business travel products are the main ones still to move.
- The aim remains to complete the transition as far as possible in 2027.

Bertram said the rollout is proceeding in phases and is showing a positive development. The coming period is mainly about making the remaining subscriptions and discount products available and guiding travellers through the switch.

Asked which bottlenecks cause the biggest delays, he said there is no single decisive one. The change is national, and different operators, systems and travel products have to fit together for large groups of travellers.

The transport companies, the student travel rights director (Regisseur Studenten Reisrecht) and Translink are preparing the technical and operational side so the remaining products can be offered in OVpay from the end of 2026 and in 2027. New functions will only be introduced once reliable, user-friendly service is assured, Bertram said.

The schedule will be adjusted where needed for technical readiness and a careful introduction, and technical complications could change the planning, he added.

## Background

- **OVpay**: OVpay is a way to pay for public transport in the Netherlands with a contactless bank card or a smartphone, instead of a separate OV-chipkaart. Travellers check in and out at the card readers, and the fare is calculated and charged afterwards, which is why it is widely used by people who travel without a personal OV-chipkaart.
- **Translink**: Translink is the organisation that runs the central systems behind the Dutch OV-chipkaart and OVpay, including the back office that processes travel data and fares for the public transport companies. It is the party that handles the technical side when new ticket products or payment functions are added to the public transport system.

From NLnow, news from the Netherlands in English. How stories are made: https://nlnow.nl/about/