Minima in Dongen can travel for free by bus from Monday. They get a special pass that allows them to travel in the area. Dongen is the first municipality in our province to introduce this. Only Amsterdam has it too. But after a few days the first free public transport passes were for sale on Marktplaats.
Residents of Dongen who receive the so-called ‘Participation scheme’ will receive the card in their mailbox in the first week of July. They can then take Arriva buses to Tilburg, Oosterhout, Breda, Waalwijk and surrounding villages for free.
Abuse
Amsterdam previously had the national scoop. Here, the first passes were already offered for sale online a few days after they were issued. The Dongense passes are registered by name, a spokesman for the municipality responds.
“And if a check in the bus shows that it is being abused, the original owner has lost the right to free public transport for the rest of life. But I don’t think it is going that fast,” says the information officer. “Dongen is smaller than Amsterdam and we notice that people here are especially happy with it.”
First passes
On Monday, alderman De Hoon will hand out the first passes to three residents.