OVpay

Public transport is changing. Or rather, paying for public transport is. In several places in the Netherlands, you can now choose how to check in and out of buses, trains, trams, and the metro. You can use a debit card, credit card, phone, or even a smartwatch. To achieve this, all public transport companies in the Netherlands joined forces under the name OVpay.

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Such a new payment system has quite an impact on travellers. Therefore, we set up a framework to introduce this system as customer-friendly as possible. This includes communication around the project, as well as the various touchpoints. In other words, everything that ensures travellers can easily use the new payment methods in the future.

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To that end, we first studied public transport in other cities. What works well in Seoul, London, and Tokyo? And what could be improved? Additionally, we also asked travellers about their experiences and ideas. With these insights in mind, we assisted in devising and experimenting with the introduction of the new payment system.

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We worked according to the Living Lab method, where service design and experiment design converge. We created test environments where we could learn in real life how the conceived service operated. What does it mean for the passenger, the driver, the conductor? How do they react and what does that reaction mean for how we can improve the service? We started in Lelystad with a few buses accepting bank card payments, and step by step, the experiments in our Living Lab encompassed more payment methods, multiple regions, and various types of travellers. We learned, adapted, and gradually brought the entire organisation behind OVpay Netherlands along with the changes.

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If you take the bus today, you can check in and out using your debit card. The cost of the journey will be debited from your account at the end of the day. Almost all Dutch banks participate, as well as many foreign ones. It also works not only with your physical card but also with your mobile or smartwatch payment card. Cool, right?

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And we're far from finished. The service is still very much in development. We continue to monitor everything and introduce new features one by one. Inclusivity is a top priority for us. We constantly consider all possible target groups. In this way, we can make the experience as pleasant as possible for every traveller.

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