According to 2017 figures from the European Statistical Office Eurostat, public transport in the Netherlands is more expensive than in any of the other 27 countries in the European Union.

Pricey public transport

Public transport in the Netherlands, including taxis and ferry services, costs a pretty penny. It is namely 32 percent more expensive than the average cost of public transport in the EU.

According to Bert van Wee, Transport Policy professor at the Delft University of Technology, the differences in price across Europe can be attributed to the extent to which public transport is subsidised by the government.

In Belgium, for example, transport costs are only 4 percent above the European average and the government there “wants to stimulate public transport, for example by ensuring that everyone has access to a bus stop within a few hundred metres. But that also costs a considerable amount of money”, he explains.

Cheap European transport

In Luxembourg, public transport will be completely free by 2020. This stands in stark contrast to the prices in the Netherlands. According to calculations by RTL Nieuws, a subscription for the specific route Antwerp – Ghent would cost 174 euros per month. For the route Amsterdam – The Hague, which covers a similar distance, you’d be looking at 371 euros per month.

For more information, see the Eurostat report.