Many elderly among us do not have it easy financially, many of them only receive an AOW benefit without a pension and that is really not a fat pot. It is difficult to make ends meet, especially now that petrol prices, energy costs and shopping costs have gone up considerably. Many elderly people cannot use public transport because they simply cannot afford it. This means that many elderly people can no longer go out and as a result often end up in social isolation.
As a trial, the province of Utrecht will offer elderly people who are XNUMX percent dependent on an AOW benefit without a pension for a year free transport by bus and tram. The initiative for this action comes from the coalition agreement of the province of Utrecht, in which a trial with free regional public transport was announced.
This free trial in collaboration with Syntus Utrecht and U-OV will start in September 2022 and will run until December 2023. Older people who meet the conditions and have registered for this trial will receive a free public transport subscription on their personal chip card. They can travel for free in the province of Utrecht on weekdays after 9 a.m. on the local bus, tram and bus. They can use this service free of charge all day long on weekends and public holidays.
More and more municipalities are taking similar actions. AOW pensioners who live in Ridderkerk can use the RET bus, tram and metro in the Rotterdam region for free. They must also meet certain conditions and sign up for this. AOW pensioners who live in Amsterdam or Weesp are eligible for free travel in Amsterdam by public transport of the GVB, Connexxion and EBS. Residents must register for this and meet the conditions. Hopefully, all municipalities in the Netherlands will have a similar arrangement in the future, which will make the lives of many elderly people a lot more pleasant.
