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Ease of payment in public transport

Passengers appreciate being able to pay for their journeys quickly and easily. We made various improvements with that in mind. For example, we introduced travelling on account for a small group of existing customers under the name NS Flex. They then pay for their train journeys afterwards. If the test is successful, a wide-scale roll-out will follow in 2018. In addition, in collaboration with the public transport sector, telecommunications providers and banks, we ran trials for paying via mobile phone and debit card. Payment via mobile phone will not be developed further for the time being. Examples of other improvements:

  • It is now also possible to request refunds online for e-tickets in the event of delays.

  • NS can automatically correct some forgotten checkouts because it is now connected to Translink’s national ‘missed checkout’ service.

  • The NS Extra service has been expanded to include campaigns on routes where work on the track is taking place.

  • Customers can immediately sign up for NS Extra when purchasing a season ticket online.

  • Tickets on ns.nl and in the Journey Planner app are now available as mobile tickets.

  • When purchasing a season ticket, you can immediately choose to use OV-fiets (the public transport bicycle) or 24/7 bicycle storage.

  • The ticket machines at stations have been upgraded.

Use of the public transport smartcard

Around 650,000 passengers every day use their public transport smartcards to check in and out. The NS Extra service allows passengers to activate a ‘check-out alert’ and makes it easier to cancel a season ticket. In 2017, 86% of our passengers gave a score of 7 out of 10 or higher (83% in 2016). The increase is partly the result of people getting used to the smartcard and the system, and partly due to improvements made by NS. For example, passengers can view transactions via the Journey Planner and no longer have to pay a fee to reduce the balance on their card at a ticket desk.
As of 2017, NS no longer carries out separate research into satisfaction with the public transport smartcard. This programme ended last year and with it the need for extensive reporting. Relevant questions have been included in existing satisfaction surveys.