National Tariff System
Encyclopedia
The national tariff system ( or nationale vervoerbewijzen/NVB) is a ticketing and zoning scheme for local public transport in the Netherlands
. It was designed as a nationwide scheme but is being phased out (see section on validity, below) and replaced by the OV-chipkaart
. With the abolition of the strippenkaart (strip card) on 3 November 2011, only the sterabonnement (Star subscription) remains organized under the national tariff system. The system does not apply to Dutch Railways (NS)
, which have their own pricing regime; however there are limited sections of railway (generally in urban areas or on non-NS
lines) on which the system is valid.
and Rotterdam
regions.
Strippenkaart tickets were available in denominations of 2, 3, 8, 15 and 45 strips. Reduced tariff tickets were only available in 15 strip versions. An 8-strip ticket could be used as a one-day ticket in The Hague and Utrecht if especially validated (at the same cost).
Strippenkaart prices
Strippenkaarten were sold by tobacconists, supermarkets, tourist offices and public transport companies. Only the smaller denomination tickets (up to 8 strips) were available on board, hence the small difference in price between 8 and 15 strip tickets, to encourage pre-purchasing which speeds up boarding times.
The strippenkaart ceased to be valid on 3 November 2011.
, but is nevertheless valid on the company's services.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. It was designed as a nationwide scheme but is being phased out (see section on validity, below) and replaced by the OV-chipkaart
OV-chipkaart
The OV-chipkaart is a contactless smart card system which is in the process of being introduced on all public transport in the Netherlands, including train, metro, tram and bus...
. With the abolition of the strippenkaart (strip card) on 3 November 2011, only the sterabonnement (Star subscription) remains organized under the national tariff system. The system does not apply to Dutch Railways (NS)
Train routes in the Netherlands
This list of train routes in the Netherlands focuses on the routes taken by trains travelling on railway lines in the Netherlands. A list including all stops on the train routes can be found at Dutch railway services...
, which have their own pricing regime; however there are limited sections of railway (generally in urban areas or on non-NS
Nederlandse Spoorwegen
Nederlandse Spoorwegen , or NS, is the principal passenger railway operator in the Netherlands.Its trains operate over the tracks of the Dutch national railinfrastructure, operated by ProRail, which was split off from NS in 2003...
lines) on which the system is valid.
Validity
The national tariff system applies on most local bus and tram routes, with the exception of special tourist and leisure services, express services, night buses; and buurtbussen, which are neighbourhood services run by volunteers. In addition, it no longer applies in the AmsterdamAmsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
and Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
regions.
Validity on the railways
The system also applies to the following rail routes:- Groningen – RoodeschoolRoodeschoolRoodeschool is a community situated in the northeast of Groningen province in the Netherlands and forming part of the municipality of Eemsmond...
(ArrivaArrivaArriva plc is a multinational public transport company owned by Deutsche Bahn and headquartered in Sunderland, United Kingdom. It has bus, coach, train, tram and waterbus operations in 12 countries across Europe, employs more than 47,500 people and services over 1.5 billion passenger journeys each...
) - Groningen – DelfzijlDelfzijlDelfzijl is a municipality and city in the northeast of the Netherlands. It is situated on the left bank of the river Ems estuary, which forms the border with Germany.-Population centres:...
(Arriva) - Groningen – NieuweschansNieuweschansBad Nieuweschans is a town in the Dutch province of Groningen. It is located in the municipality of Oldambt, about 12 km east of Winschoten. In April 2009 the municipality of Reiderland changed the name from Nieuweschans, to promote the town as a spa...
– Leer[Germany] LeerLeer is a town in the district of Leer, the northwestern part of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated at the river Ems, near the border with the Netherlands....
(Arriva) - ArnhemArnhemArnhem is a city and municipality, situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland and located near the river Nederrijn as well as near the St. Jansbeek, which was the source of the city's development. Arnhem has 146,095 residents as one of the...
– WinterswijkWinterswijkWinterswijk is a municipality and a town in the eastern Netherlands.Winterswijk is a town with a population of some 30,000 in the Achterhoek which lies in the most eastern part of the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands. It was also known as Winethereswick, Winriswic or Wenterswic...
(SyntusSyntusSyntus bv is a public transport company operating bus and passenger train services in the east of the Netherlands. It is owned jointly by NS Reizigers and Keolis...
) - Zutphen – Winterswijk (Syntus)
- Zutphen – Oldenzaal (Syntus)
- Zutphen – ApeldoornApeldoornApeldoorn is a municipality and city in the province of Gelderland, about 60 miles south east of Amsterdam, in the centre of the Netherlands. It is a regional centre and has 155,000 . The municipality of Apeldoorn, including villages like Beekbergen, Loenen and Hoenderloo, has over 155,000...
(NSNederlandse SpoorwegenNederlandse Spoorwegen , or NS, is the principal passenger railway operator in the Netherlands.Its trains operate over the tracks of the Dutch national railinfrastructure, operated by ProRail, which was split off from NS in 2003...
) - Between all stations in The HagueThe HagueThe Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, RijswijkRijswijkRijswijk is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. It is a suburb of The Hague and covers an area of 14.48 km² ....
and VoorburgVoorburgVoorburg is a Dutch town and former municipality in the western part of the province of South Holland, the Netherlands. As also Leidschendam and Stompwijk, it is part of the municipality Leidschendam-Voorburg. It has approximately 39,000 inhabitants.... - MaastrichtMaastrichtMaastricht is situated on both sides of the Meuse river in the south-eastern part of the Netherlands, on the Belgian border and near the German border...
Randwyck – Maastricht – Heerlen – Kerkrade (between Heerlen and Kerkrade only on Veolia trains) - Between all stations in RotterdamRotterdamRotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
, Capelle a/d IJsselCapelle aan den IJsselCapelle aan den IJssel is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality had a population of 65,605 in 2005, and covers an area of 15.42 km² of which 1.13 km² is water...
, SchiedamSchiedamSchiedam is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. It is part of the Rotterdam metropolitan area. The city is located west of Rotterdam, east of Vlaardingen and south of Delft...
and VlaardingenVlaardingenVlaardingen is a town in South Holland in the Netherlands. It is located on the north bank of the Nieuwe Maas/Nieuwe Waterweg river at the confluence with the Oude Maas... - UtrechtUtrecht (city)Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
Overvecht – Utrecht Centraal – Utrecht Lunetten
Strippenkaart
The strippenkaart, introduced on 1 October 1980 and abolished on 3 November 2011, was a ticket composed of several strips, to be validated when used. Passengers either validated the ticket themselves in a machine, or got it stamped by the driver or conductor. The number of strips to be cancelled was always the number of zones travelled plus one, up to a maximum of 20 strips. The stamped ticket was valid for hour for 2 to 4 strips, up to to 3.5 hours for 17 to 20 strips.Strippenkaart tickets were available in denominations of 2, 3, 8, 15 and 45 strips. Reduced tariff tickets were only available in 15 strip versions. An 8-strip ticket could be used as a one-day ticket in The Hague and Utrecht if especially validated (at the same cost).
Strippenkaart prices
| 2-strippenkaart | €1.60 |
| 3-strippenkaart | €2.40 |
| 8-strippenkaart | €6.40 |
| 15-strippenkaart | €7.70 |
| 15-strippenkaart (reduced rate) | €5.00 |
| 45-strippenkaart | €22.80 |
| Local day-ticket Den Haag or Utrecht (one 8-strippenkaart) | |
| €6,40 | Local day-ticket Den Haag or Utrecht, reduced rate (four strips of a 8-strippenkaart) |
| €3,20 | Nationwide day-ticket full fare (two 8-strippenkaarten) |
| €12,80 | Nationwide day-ticket reduce fare (one 8-strippenkaart) |
| €6,40 |
Strippenkaarten were sold by tobacconists, supermarkets, tourist offices and public transport companies. Only the smaller denomination tickets (up to 8 strips) were available on board, hence the small difference in price between 8 and 15 strip tickets, to encourage pre-purchasing which speeds up boarding times.
The strippenkaart ceased to be valid on 3 November 2011.
Sterabonnement
The Sterabonnement is the season ticket of Dutch local public transport. It is similar to the Strippenkaart in that it is zone dependent, although validity is set at the time of purchase to the number of zones chosen. The Sterabonnement is slightly different from the Strippenkaart as each ticket's validity is dependent on its "star" value (Ster is the Dutch word for star). The table below summarises the Sterabonnement's validity.| Star value |
Validity |
| 1-ster | 1 selected zone |
| 2-ster | The selected zone + 1 adjacent zone in each direction |
| 3-ster | The selected zone + 2 adjacent zones in each direction |
| 4-ster | The selected zone + 3 adjacent zones in each direction |
| 5-ster | The selected zone + 4 adjacent zones in each direction |
| 6-ster | The selected zone + 5 adjacent zones in each direction |
| N | All zones in the Netherlands |
Zomerzwerfkaart
The Zomerzwerfkaart or "Summer roaming card" is a special ticket only available during June, July and August, which allows the bearer to travel for a whole day in the Netherlands on public transport subject to the National Tariff System. This ticket, however, is not sold by ConnexxionConnexxion
Connexxion is the largest public transport bus company in the Netherlands, operating in the west, middle, east and far northern part of the country. It was formed in 1999 as result of a fusion between the public transport companies NZH, ZWN, Midnet and Oostnet. Its name is a mutation of the French...
, but is nevertheless valid on the company's services.
See also
- nl.Wikipedia page about the Strippenkaart (in Dutch)
- nl.Wikipedia page about the OV-Chipkaart (in Dutch)