The national tariff system ( or nationale vervoerbewijzen/NVB) is a ticketing and zoning scheme for local public transport in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. It was designed as a nationwide scheme but is being phased out (see section on validity, below) and replaced by the

OV-chipkaart The OV-chipkaart (, short for ''openbaar vervoer chipkaart'' , meaning ''public transport chipcard'') is a contactless smart card and integrated ticketing system used for all public transport in the Netherlands. First introduced in the Rotterda ...

. 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.

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

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

and

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...

regions.

Validity on the railways

The system also applies to the following rail routes: *

Groningen Groningen ( , ; ; or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen (province), Groningen province in the Netherlands. Dubbed the "capital of the north", Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of ...

– Roodeschool (

Arriva Arriva Ltd. is a British multinational public transport company headquartered in Sunderland, England. The company was originally established on 24 October 1938 as T Cowie Ltd. Initially focused on the sale of motorcycles, it relaunched shortl ...

) *Groningen –

Delfzijl Delfzijl (; ) is a city and former municipality (which now belongs to the municipality of Eemsdelta) with a population of 25,651 in the province of Groningen in the northeast of the Netherlands. Delfzijl was a sluice between the Delf and the Em ...

(Arriva) *Groningen –

Nieuweschans Bad Nieuweschans (; ; ; also Lange Akkeren) is a village in the north-eastern Netherlands on the border with Germany. It forms part of the municipality of Oldambt. Nieuweschans means "new fortification ( sconce)". In 2009, the word Bad (" spa") ...

– Leer (Germany) (Arriva) *

Arnhem Arnhem ( ; ; Central Dutch dialects, Ernems: ''Èrnem'') is a Cities of the Netherlands, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands, near the German border. It is the capita ...

–

Winterswijk Winterswijk (; also known as ''Winterswiek'' or ''Wenters'') is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and a town in the eastern Netherlands. It has a population of and is situated in the Achterhoek, which lies in the easternmost part ...

( Keolis Nederland) *

Zutphen Zutphen () is a city and municipality located in the province of Gelderland, Netherlands. It lies some northeast of Arnhem, on the eastern bank of the river IJssel at the point where it is joined by the Berkel. First mentioned in the 11th centur ...

– Winterswijk (Keolis Nederland) *Zutphen –

Oldenzaal Oldenzaal (; Tweants: ''Oldnzel'') is a municipality and a city in the eastern province of Overijssel in the Netherlands. It is part of the region of Twente and is close to the German border. It received city rights in 1249. Historically, the ...

(Keolis Nederland) *Zutphen –

Apeldoorn Apeldoorn (; Dutch Low Saxon: ) is a municipality and city in the province of Gelderland in the centre of the Netherlands. The municipality of Apeldoorn, including the villages of Beekbergen, Loenen (Apeldoorn), Loenen, Ugchelen and Hoenderloo ...

( NS) *Between all stations in

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

Rijswijk Rijswijk (), formerly known as Ryswick ( ) in English, is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. Its population was 59.642 in 2024, and it has an area of , of which is water. The municipality also i ...

and

Voorburg Voorburg () is a town and former municipality in the west part of the province of South Holland, Netherlands. Together with the town Leidschendam and the village Stompwijk, it merged into the municipality of Leidschendam-Voorburg in 2002. Sit ...

Maastricht Maastricht ( , , ; ; ; ) is a city and a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital city, capital and largest city of the province of Limburg (Netherlands), Limburg. Maastricht is loca ...

Randwyck – Maastricht – Heerlen (Arriva) *

Sittard Sittard (; ) is a city in the Netherlands, situated in the southernmost province of Limburg. The town is part of the municipality of Sittard-Geleen and has almost 37,500 inhabitants in 2016. In its east, Sittard borders the German municipal ...

– Kerkrade (Arriva) *Between all stations in

, Capelle a/d IJssel,

Schiedam Schiedam () is a large town and municipality in the west of the Netherlands. It is located in the Rotterdam–The Hague metropolitan area, west of the city Rotterdam, east of the town Vlaardingen and south of the city Delft. In the south, Schi ...

and

Vlaardingen Vlaardingen () is a large town and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in South Holland in the Netherlands. It is located on the north bank of the Nieuwe Maas river at the confluence with the Oude Maas. The municipality admin ...

Utrecht Utrecht ( ; ; ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city of the Netherlands, as well as the capital and the most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. The ...

Overvecht – Utrecht Centraal – Utrecht Lunetten

Tickets

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 an hour for two to four strips, up to three-and-a-half hours for 17 to 20 strips.
/ref> Strippenkaart tickets were available in denominations of two, three, eight, 15 and 45 strips. Reduced tariff tickets were only available in 15-strip versions. An eight-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.

Sterabonnement

Weekabonnement Nationale Vervoersbewijzen

The Sterabonnement (''Star subscription'') 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.

Zomerzwerfkaart

The ''Zomerzwerfkaart'' or "Summer roaming card" is a special ticket available only 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

Connexxion Connexxion formerly Transdev#Netherlands, Transdev Netherlands, Veolia Transport Nederland, Veolia Transport Nederlands and Connex Netherlands is a large Public transport in the Netherlands, public transport company in the Netherlands, operatin ...

, but is nevertheless valid on the company's services.
/ref>

OV-chipkaart

References

External links

Information about the Strippenkaart system
{cbignore, bot=medic (in Dutch)
GVB.nl (Amsterdam Public Transport Authority) page explaining the Sterabonnement system
(in English) Rail transport in the Netherlands Fare collection systems in the Netherlands