Free public transport for The Hague children delayed by a year

Children in The Hague will have to wait to use public transport for free. A trial for free public transport was supposed to start last summer but has now been delayed. The new aim is for the trial to start at the start of next year and to run until the end of the year.

The municipality of The Hague had announced the project in April. Children from 4 to 11 years old were to be able to use public transport for free. This was meant to ensure that their parents would take the bus or tram more often when going out. It was also meant to stimulate children to take public transport more often.

If the trial is successful, then it may be implemented permanently from 2026 onwards. The Hague will also compensate the fee that parents have to pay to buy a personal OV chip card for their children.

Parents can register their children for a free chip card via DigiD. According to Alderman for Mobility Arjen Kapteijns, the delay is because it has taken a little longer to build a platform for that. It has also taken more time to supply the chip cards.

Children from 4 to 11 years of age can travel on the bus, tram, or subway for free until the beginning of January in Amsterdam. Rotterdam also has a trial that has been ongoing for a while in which children up to 12 years of age can travel on public transport for free.