Paying for your sandwich with your public transport pass?
The NS (Dutch railway company) is investigating whether the public transport pass could be used to pay in shops at railway-stations.
Testing-phase in Amersfoort
The test has started: 500 employees of transport pass company can use their passes as cash card. But only at the railway-station in Amersfoort, where the company’s headquarter are situated. The transport card functions as cash card in the bookstand, the snack bar and the sand-wich bar.
Easily paid
The research shows that the public transport pass can be used to pay. An advantage is that the pay-ment goes just as quickly as the checking-in. That comes in handy, while we always have to run to catch the train on time!
Official card to pay with?
In Taiwan, people have been using their transport passes to pay with in supermarkets and other shops, for a couple of years. Whether this will be our future as well is yet not clear. The test continues until April, and should make clear where the problems of the card lie. Afterwards, an evaluation will follow and a decision will be made.
