NS is taking a very remarkable step. The transport company announced that it wants to encourage companies such as leasing companies, tour operators and hotel operators to sell train tickets and subscriptions to their customers.
First forms of MaaS cooperation within OV.
NS claims to be the first carrier in Europe to fully outsource part of the sale to third parties. Until now, NS has always had the exclusive right to sell and determined all travel conditions.
In this way, NS has been working for years with parties such as Hema, Albert Heijn and Kruidvat that offer discounted tickets to their regular customers. And that happens under the conditions and under the direction of the NS. The transport company determines the discount that the buyers receive and the time of travel.
According to the FD, the rail company hopes to use the new partner model to get groups of consumers on the train who rarely or never use the track. And it responds to the rise of the flex traveler, the consumer who sometimes takes the car, sometimes the train or bicycle.
The new partners of the Dutch Railways buy train kilometers on a large scale from the Dutch Railways and distribute them among their customers as they see fit. They can determine the price of a ticket or subscription themselves. The customer can use the train via an app or fuel card, for example.
