NS changing rules for joint travel discount to prevent abuse

NS is using new rules for its joint travel discount to prevent abuse. From today, anyone traveling with such a discount will need an online code, which the season ticket holder must create and share with the person traveling with them at a discounted rate. They also have to sit together during the trip, NOS reports.

A transition period applies until the end of April. During those weeks, travelers can still buy a joint travel ticket from the machine. After April 22, these tickets will only be available online. Those who struggle with online purchases can go to the service counters that are still available at some stations, NS said.

“We increasingly see that the discount is misused,” an NS spokesperson told NOS. “The joint travel discount was created with the idea that our season ticket holders could give a 40 percent discount as a gift to a family member, friend, or colleague traveling with them. But in practice, it is often different. For example, travelers who have a train ticket with a joint travel discount, but upon closer inspection cannot indicate who they are traveling with.”

Nearly 500,000 travelers travel with a joint travel discount every month. For comparison, NS transports about a million passengers per day. According to NS, misuse of the discount costs it several million euros in income every year.

Years ago, NS had similar issues with travelers abusing group ticket discounts. Instead of families or friends traveling together at a discount, individuals would look each other up on social media or through intermediaries to buy a group ticket together.

According to NS, misuse of the travel-together discount leads to unpleasant situations on the train. It is in the top three points of discussion between conductors and passengers, and such discussions are increasingly turning aggressive or even violent.

“People who have the discount without traveling with someone have to buy a new ticket and receive a fine of 50 euros,” chief conductor Willem Bax told the broadcaster. “If we approach those people, it could cause problems. I have heard all the excuses at least once. ‘The person has just gotten off,’ or ‘just went to the toilet,’ or simply ‘I didn’t know.’ Sometimes it can escalate to verbal or even physical aggression.”

It sometimes also happens that travelers buy a joint travel discount ticket and then go looking for a season ticket holder on the train. “They feel pressured and do not dare say no. We want to prevent that,” Bax said.

The traveler association Rover is critical. “The question is how many travelers are actually traveling with strangers. Moreover, we do not see this as abuse,” director Freek Bos said. “After all, it is not stated anywhere in the conditions who your joint-traveler should be. As far as we are concerned, an unnecessary barrier is being created for using the train.”