Good news for young travellers and their parents: children aged 4 to 11 in The Hague are able to travel for free on public transport from the end of March 2025.
This pilot, which was originally supposed to run until the end of 2025, has been extended by one year until December 2026.
The Hague municipality set up this pilot to familiarise children with public transport at an early age and to combat transport poverty. Alderman Arjen Kapteijns (Mobility) is enthusiastic about the plans: ‘With this pilot we want to ensure that children can travel more easily and independently, for example to school, sports or friends. We hope that they and their parents will see public transport as an attractive and accessible alternative.’
How does it work?
It is important for parents to apply for a DigiD for their children in time so that they can use free public transport without delay. Without a DigiD for the child, the application cannot be completed. After the application with DIgiD, the children will receive a personal OV-chip card with which they can travel for free within The Hague. The municipality reimburses both the travel costs and the purchase of the card, so that participation remains low-threshold. The OV chip card was chosen because of its reliability and the ease with which trips can be registered.
Information in English about DigiD: https://www.digid.nl/en
Monitoring and evaluation
The use of the free public transport cards will be analysed during the trial period. This is done through anonymised travel data and surveys of participants, examining the effects on travel behaviour and perceptions of public transport.
The pilot is considered successful if at least 30% of the target group signs up and if public transport travel increases. In addition, it will be monitored whether the pilot contributes to an increase in public transport use in neighbourhoods with many Ooievaarspashouders Pass holders (low income families), where the need for affordable transport is greatest.
Source (in Dutch): https://www.denhaag.nl/pers/gratis-ov-voor-kinderen-in-den-haag-start-eind-maart/