Amsterdam to scrap paper tickets in April
22 January 2010
Amsterdam city council is to ask transport minister Tineke Netelenbos to approve its decision to scrap the paper tickets system on buses and trams on April 1, the Parool reports on Friday.
A majority of councillors voted for the plan on Thursday night. The new smart card (ov-chipkaart) has been the only form of payment for the city's metro for some time.
The council's decision comes at a time of growing pressure on the minister to take action about the sharp increase in prices following the phased introduction of the smart card.
In the capital, for example, a single ticket bought on a tram or bus in the capital costs €2.60. A paper ticket used to cost €1.45.
Huizinga, who promised the introduction of the chip card would be cost neutral has commissioned an independent report into the pricing effects. She must approve the city council's request and it is unclear if she will do this before that report has been published.
However, she has already agreed that all paper tickets will be phased out in Rotterdam from next month.
Many Parool readers have reacted angrily to the council's plans. 'We live in a democratic dictatorship,' wrote one reader on the paper's website.
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Amsterdam to scrap paper tickets in April
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Cycling is the only way to do it in Amsterdam for me. You can get to those places off the beaten track and cover the city with short cuts everywhere. First thing I do when I arrive is dump my bags at the hotel and head direct to get a bike before anything else.
MY AMSTERDAM MAP = www.amsterdamer.supanet.com