NS Launches Free Train Pass Trial for Low-Income Residents in Amersfoort
NS will give 1,000 low-income residents of Amersfoort a free train pass valid for six months, as part of a trial to design a permanent travel pass for people on low incomes.
Dutch national rail operator NS is launching a temporary trial in the city of Amersfoort, in which 1,000 residents on a low income will receive a special pass that lets them travel by train for free for six months. The trial, called the Vooruitpas Amersfoort, is the first of its kind for NS, and is intended to help shape a permanent low-income travel pass in cooperation with local, regional and national authorities.
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How the pass works
The Vooruitpas Amersfoort will run from 1 July to 31 December 2026, after which the trial automatically ends. During those six months, participants can travel anywhere on the NS network without paying. The city of Amersfoort will contact families who qualify based on their income. If more than 1,000 households apply, the municipality will hold a lottery.
Why it matters
According to NS, the goal of the pilot is twofold: to give participants real access to the train, and to learn more about what people on a low income actually need from public transport. The company says it wants to use those findings to develop a permanent travel pass for low-income residents, in partnership with municipalities, provinces, and the national government.
"Travelling is freedom," said Daan Schut, a member of the NS board. "If you don't have enough money to travel by train, you are restricted by that. You constantly have to weigh up whether you can go somewhere, and what you'd have to skip to make that possible. That's why many municipalities and provinces want to offer cheaper public transport. As NS, we want the train to be available to everyone."
Part of a wider Dutch trend
The Vooruitpas adds to a growing list of Dutch initiatives offering cheaper or free public transport to people on lower incomes. The province of Utrecht, which includes Amersfoort, has already been running its own scheme of free local public transport for low-income residents since April 2026. Similar schemes also exist in other regions.
What happens next
NS expects the first results of the Amersfoort trial in early 2027. If successful, the company plans to use the insights to roll out passes in other municipalities, although a national low-income train pass would still require co-financing from various levels of government.
