5 months Ago
Aartsen – VVD – recently installed, stressed how free riders add to an unsafe environment. "They do often get into trouble," he said. "Women no longer feel safe to walk alone on platforms or sit alone in trains at night. Some fare evaders go as far as pushing other passengers to slip through the gates. We have to make this behaviour much less appealing."
Unpaid fines and soaring evasion numbers drive policy shifts
The proposed change isn't only the increase in the fine; payment late fees for administrative purposes will also be raised. Since 2016, public transport fees have increased by over 25 per cent, yet the fine for fare evasion has remained the same, government figures reveal. According to Aartsen, an increase in the fine is a necessary step to prevent abuse of the network.
Enforcement data supports the move. For Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS), 283,450 fines were handed out in 2023, rising to 352,969 in 2024. Another major public transport company, Arriva, reported a rise from 35,908 fines in 2023 to 53,542 in 2024. Particularly worrying, Arriva says, is the high proportion of unpaid fines. 92 per cent of the fines handed out on routes connected to the asylum seekers' centre near Ter Apel are not paid, the company added.
New leadership, more emphasis on safety
Aartsen took over his position following the resignation of PVV member Chris Jansen and now is responsible for public transport and environmental policy as the assistant of Minister Robert Tieman (BBB). Aartsen was a member of the Tweede Kamer for seven years before his cabinet position, with a focus on labour market policy, media and entrepreneurship. You've killed other people, his only coalition partner in the city's municipal council, the VVD, led by Klaas Dijkhoff.
Aartsen announced that safety on public transport in particular will be given extra attention next month. The revised fine policy is part of a larger effort to make travel safer and more orderly.
