NS is also starting to check in with a bank card and mobile

From next Tuesday, NS travelers will also be able to check in with their debit card, credit card or mobile phone. People who travel in second class for the full fare no longer have to go to the machine to buy a ticket or top up an OV chip card.

The system is called OVpay and it is still an extra service, says commercial NS director Tjalling Smit in het NOS Radio 1 News, only for people who are not regular NS customers. “We cannot yet offer a discount via the bank card, so it is for travelers who occasionally travel by train. Subscription holders and people who can travel with a discount will still need an OV chip card for the time being.” A trip with the bank card is no more expensive than a normal ticket.

It had been tested for some time, says Smit. “At the beginning of last year we tested between Leiden and The Hague and in the last months of last year there was a national test with 3000 travelers. That worked technically well and we received many positive reactions from the travelers.”

It works with a plastic bank card, but you can also use your bank card on your mobile, says the NS director. “It works just like checking in with an OV chip card. So at the station you present the bank card at a gate and the gate opens. At the end of the journey, you check out in the same way and at the end of the day the total amount will be debited from their account.

Little will change for NS staff, control will remain the same. Just like the public transport chip card, the conductor checks the pass with his control equipment and can then see that someone has checked in.

The intention is that checking in with the bank card will also be possible later this year in other forms of public transport, such as buses, trams and metros. “It is already possible to travel with a bank card with many other carriers. We expect to have national coverage with all carriers together in the course of this quarter,” says Smit.

The service will also be expanded in due course, says Smit. The public transport chip card is getting a new version. This will remain available for people who want to keep a separate card, but will also be available in mobile phones. “For example, we are trying to add more and more options for paying in public transport. It’s all about convenience. Traveling by public transport is just as easy as paying for your groceries.”