Under-12s to Travel Free Nationwide From 2027, but the Over-65 Discount Ends
From 1 January 2027, accompanied children under 12 will travel free on all buses, trams, metros and trains in the Netherlands. To help pay for it, the nationwide over-65 discount will end.
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Travelling with young children in the Netherlands is about to get cheaper. From 1 January 2027, all children under the age of 12 will be able to travel for free on public transport across the country, including buses, trams, metros and trains.
One rule across the country
The change was announced by DOVA, the partnership through which the provinces and regional transport authorities organise public transport in the Netherlands. Children up to and including the age of 3 already travel free everywhere. From 2027, that will be extended to children aged 4 to 11, on all forms of public transport nationwide.
Free travel for this age group already exists on the train, through a subscription called Kids Vrij, and in some regions on buses and trams. The new measure brings all of this together into a single, uniform rule, so that the same conditions apply whether a child is on a train, a bus, a tram or a metro anywhere in the country.
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How it works
There are a few conditions. A child must be accompanied by a paying traveller, such as a parent, grandparent or teacher, and one paying adult can bring along a maximum of three children.
The aim, according to DOVA, is both to make public transport easier for families and to encourage people to use it from an early age. “What you learn young, you carry with you for the rest of your life,” said DOVA director Jan van Selm. “If children travel by public transport with their parents or grandparents, that is good for the travellers of the future.” State Secretary for Infrastructure Annet Bertram said the measure introduced children to public transport early and was “good for families on a tight budget.”
Paid for by ending the over-65 discount
The free travel for children comes with a trade-off. To keep public transport affordable in the long term, the transport authorities say they are shifting away from discounts for everyone towards more targeted support. As part of that, the nationwide discount for everyone aged 65 and over on buses, trams and metros will end on 1 January 2027, the same day the children’s scheme begins.
The change is part of a broader effort to encourage more people onto public transport. A separate unlimited summer train pass, costing 49 euros a month for off-peak travel on all domestic trains, has proved popular since going on sale in June, with around 175,000 sold in the first two weeks.