Free Public Transport for Children in The Hague Starts End of March
Good news for young travelers and their parents: children aged 4 to 11 years in The Hague are expected to travel free of charge on public transport from the end of March 2025. Moreover, the pilot, which was originally planned to run until the end of 2025, can be extended by a year until December 2026.
The Municipality of The Hague has set up this pilot to familiarize children with public transport at a young 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 that parents apply for a Start external link: DigiD for their children(External link), end external link. for their children in time, so that they can use the free public transport without delay. Without a DigiD for the child, the application cannot be completed. After the application with DigiD, the children receive a personal OV-chip card with which they can travel free of charge within The Hague. The municipality reimburses both the travel costs and the purchase of the card to keep participation accessible. The OV-chip card was chosen for its reliability and ease of registering travel.
Monitoring and Evaluation
The use of the free OV cards will be analyzed during the trial period. This will be done through anonymized travel data and surveys among participants, which will investigate the effects on travel behavior and the perception of public transport. The pilot is considered successful if at least 30% of the target group registers and if there is more travel by public transport. In addition, it will be monitored whether the trial contributes to an increase in public transport use in neighborhoods with many Ooievaar pass holders, where the need for affordable transport is greatest.