My wife and I keep an 'anonieme ovkaart' anonymous public transport card, for transport in the Netherlands as we go there at least twice a year to visit family. The only snag is that if you want to use rail with it, you have to have at least €20 on it which is a sort of 'loan' to NS, which one only uses up every six months. The buses don't require this, as presumably the distances are shorter. You have to check out and check back in, whenever you change from rail to bus.
Recently we were returning to England via Schiphol and on the bus from Huizen to Bussum (actually Naarden-Bussum) we saw on the bus overhead display screen that the trains towards AMS and Schiphol were all cancelled.
Panic!
It emerged that there had been a 'one under' at Weesp, so no trains northwards on the Hilversum route.
Actually the fact that we had advance warning on the bus display was very good example of good integrated transport.
At the station I noticed a train that would take us south towards Utrecht and then we could change and go back on the fast Breukelen* route.
To make it short (see Google Earth if you are interested), we went first from N-B to Hilversum, because the train was Amersfoort bound. We then had to exit the barriers (thus checking out) and then back onto another platform (thus checking back in) and when we got the second train to Utrecht, we were pleased to see that we did not have to check out and then back in again there to get our train to Schiphol.
We then discovered that we were being asked to get a train to AMS and then change again(!) to Schiphol.
I was worried that with the transfer at Hilversum, that had demanded exiting the barrier, we would end up being charged much more.
But no, when we checked out at Schiphol, the fare was exactly the same as would have been the case from Naarden-Bussum to Schiphol direct.
As an aside, four trains !!! and with our cases lugged between! Still we got there and I might add only 30-45 minutes later than would have been the case direct.
I presume that the system knows when you check in and out, merely to change platforms. I presume it is time-checked?
*Breukelen is of course the original town, after which the suburb of New York is named.
Recently we were returning to England via Schiphol and on the bus from Huizen to Bussum (actually Naarden-Bussum) we saw on the bus overhead display screen that the trains towards AMS and Schiphol were all cancelled.
Panic!
It emerged that there had been a 'one under' at Weesp, so no trains northwards on the Hilversum route.
Actually the fact that we had advance warning on the bus display was very good example of good integrated transport.
At the station I noticed a train that would take us south towards Utrecht and then we could change and go back on the fast Breukelen* route.
To make it short (see Google Earth if you are interested), we went first from N-B to Hilversum, because the train was Amersfoort bound. We then had to exit the barriers (thus checking out) and then back onto another platform (thus checking back in) and when we got the second train to Utrecht, we were pleased to see that we did not have to check out and then back in again there to get our train to Schiphol.
We then discovered that we were being asked to get a train to AMS and then change again(!) to Schiphol.
I was worried that with the transfer at Hilversum, that had demanded exiting the barrier, we would end up being charged much more.
But no, when we checked out at Schiphol, the fare was exactly the same as would have been the case from Naarden-Bussum to Schiphol direct.
As an aside, four trains !!! and with our cases lugged between! Still we got there and I might add only 30-45 minutes later than would have been the case direct.
I presume that the system knows when you check in and out, merely to change platforms. I presume it is time-checked?
*Breukelen is of course the original town, after which the suburb of New York is named.
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