Transport
Get your OV Chipcard and get ready to explore!
To travel by train, bus, tram and metro, you can use a pass called OV-chipkaart. You can purchase the card online. Before traveling, you have to activate your card at the self-service ticket machine which you can find at the train station, in some supermarkets or at a kiosk. You can recognize the machines by the pink OV logo. Here’s where you can find a service point.
There are two different types of OV-chipkaarten:
- The blue card is an anonymous card that you need to charge manually. You can top it up at stations or supermarkets, and you must have a minimum balance of 20 euros to travel. The card itself costs 7.50 euros and is valid for five years.
- The yellow card is a personal card, with your picture and personal details on it. You can connect it to your bank account, so it will automatically charge its credit when needed.
You can also purchase a single-use ticket. These are disposable cards for one time or short period usage. You can get this at the self-service ticket machine at the train station or online. If you buy it online, you don’t have to print it out. Simply download the NS International app and add your ticket to your account after purchase.
For further information, please visit the official NS website.
- You must check in and check out with our OV Chipkaart! You must check in every time you step behind the gates/stiles, even if you don’t get on a train.
- Don’t forget to check out at the end of your journey! If you have forgotten to check out, you can still do so within 6 hours of your journey. If you are unable to do that, you can submit a request for a refund using your Mijn NS account.
- The bus stops are fixed locations, and the driver won’t stop in-between stops.
- Make sure to signal the driver that you want to use the bus when there are several bus lines passing through the same stop, or you might be left behind in the bus stop.
- When you want to get off the bus, you must indicate this by pressing the Stop button (there are multiple Stop buttons within easy reach in every bus). The bus only stops if/when passengers indicate they want to get on or get off the bus.
- If you are looking for discounts, several shops (Kruidvat, Albert Heijn) often offer special deals on public transport.
- There are several other ways to get discounts. The most useful one for internationals who like to go on weekend day-trips around the Netherlands is the 40% discount. You pay a one-time yearly fee to add a 40% discount to your OV card. You can use this discount on train rides during off-peak hours and weekends. You can also take up to 3 people with you, and they’ll all benefit from the discount (samenreiskorting). Here’s how to add the discount to other people’s cards too.
- You can rent an OV-fiets (bike) to cycle from the station to your destination.
- 9292 – If you are searching how to get to your destination from door-to-door, includes all public transportation methods.
- NS International app – for destinations outside The Netherlands.
- NS app – for traveling by trains in The Netherlands.
DRIVING LICENCe
As an international/expat you may have to do a medical examination to obtain the Dutch driving licence. Keuringsbewijs provides these medical examinations in Breda and other cities in Noord-Brabant.
Location in Breda: Paardeweide 3, 4824 EH
Contact
Tel: 085 0606 239
Email: info@keuringsbewijs.nl
Website: keuringsbewijs.nl