Traveling by bus in Drenthe and Groningen will become more expensive next year, but the increase is less than planned after consultation with the province. A bus ride will become 1.3 eurocents per kilometer more expensive next year. The original idea was to increase it by 2.6 euro cents per kilometer.
The provinces of Drenthe and Groningen were not happy with that increase. The two provinces, together with the municipality of Groningen, form the board of the Public Transport Agency, which is responsible for bus transport.
The increase comes on top of a national increase of 3.86 percent and coincides with the introduction of a new payment system: OV-Pay. This should eventually replace the OV Chip Card. In this new system, travelers who travel by bus once or twice a month will pay more. Others are actually cheaper.
The original increase of 2.6 cents per kilometer is a direct result of the introduction of OV-Pay. The Public Transport Agency says it is necessary to pay the costs of its introduction. The OV-Chipkaart will still be valid next year. The intention is to stop using the OV Chipkaart from March 2027.
Last week it was announced that The Hague would receive extra money for public transport. Money intended to reduce taxes on petrol will be invested in public transport following a proposal from the Christian Union.
Of the 1.7 billion euros that the tax cut on petrol would cost, 448 million euros will now go to public transport. It is not yet known how much money will go to the Groningen Drenthe Public Transport Agency.