This spring, a new public transport card became available to Dutch travellers: the OVpay card. While the card itself might seem familiar, it’s part of a much bigger shift in the underlying fare system.
With OVpay, the Netherlands officially moves from card-based ticketing to account-based ticketing (ABT)—a change that affects not just passengers, but the way transport operators manage and operate fare systems.
Traditionally, the OV-chipkaart stored travel rights, balance, and fare rules directly on the card. That made updates slow and required physical infrastructure—vending machines, card readers, and validator rollouts.
With OVpay, the card becomes just an identifier of the passenger. All the information needed to calculate the fare logic now lives in the back office. When a passenger taps in, the system checks their account and applies the right fare based on their travel behaviour, product entitlements, or discounts.
The OVpay card is one way to access this new fare system. So are debit cards, phones, and wearables. The form of the card no longer matters—the account behind it does.
For travellers, this removes friction. There’s no need to top up, manage balance manually, or worry about expiring products. You can travel with a bank card or device, and fares are applied automatically.
Discounts, subscriptions, and caps can also be enforced centrally. Passengers don’t need to manage those details themselves—just check in and go. Ensure a hassle-free and more automated travel experience for everyone.
For PTOs, ABT means that fare products and rules are now handled centrally. That enables faster product updates and broader regional coordination. It also provides a much clearer view of how products are used across the network.
This shift makes it easier to:
It also enables validation and inspection without relying on what’s stored on the card, reducing fraud and improving clarity across the system.
Ximedes supports OVpay with core components that link cards and devices to back-office systems securely and reliably. We help ensure that passengers are correctly identified, entitlements are applied properly, and products behave as expected across a range of validation devices.
We’ve contributed to several parts of the OVpay rollout alongside Translink and regional operators, focusing on modular, integratable software that builds on what’s already there.
Even though OVpay is now live across the country, the work continues. The shift to ABT creates opportunities for more responsive, flexible fare systems. As operators begin to explore what else this infrastructure can support, we’ll be working quietly in the background, making sure the software supports the next steps.