Syntus Utrecht

Ticket sales on the bus will end on October 1st

03/09/2024
From 1 October 2024, you can no longer buy tickets from the bus driver. You can easily check in and out at the door with your contactless debit card, credit card or mobile phone.

Since March 2023, you can check in and out at Syntus Utrecht with your debit card, credit card or mobile phone (OVpay). In the past year, we have seen that more and more travellers are using this. As a result, fewer and fewer individual tickets are being purchased from the bus driver.

Why no more tickets from the bus driver?
  • You can check in and out just as easily with your debit card, credit card or mobile phone (OVpay).
  • Paying for an  ticket from the bus driver is often more expensive than checking in and out with the same card. Plan your trip and see what your trip will cost (full fare balance).
  • Children up to the age of 11 travel for free with an adult (maximum 3 children per adult).
How do you pay for your ride?
There are still many options available to pay for your bus ride. You can:
  • Check in and out with your debit card, credit card or mobile phone. You don't need to register for this. This is often cheaper than buying a bus ticket from the bus driver, because you pay for the trip based on the kilometer rate. Read more about it here.
  • Check in and out with your OV chip card.
  • Buy an e-ticket in advance in the 9292 app or the Tranzer app. Also useful if you want to pay for multiple people. Buy a ticket in advance in our service shop in Amersfoort, the U-OV service shop in Utrecht and at the U-OV tram stops.

Why does sales stop at the bus driver?
  • You can check in and out just as easily with your debit card, credit card or mobile (OVpay).
  • Often, paying for a single ticket is more expensive than checking in and out with the same debit or credit card.

I want to buy a ticket from the bus driver, is that still possible?
From 1 October 2024, this will no longer be possible. There are still many options available to pay for your bus ride. You can:
  • Check in and out with your debit card, credit card or mobile phone. You do not need to register for this and it is often cheaper than buying a single ticket from the bus driver. Read more about it here.
  • Check in and out with your OV chip card.
  • Buy an e-ticket in the 9292 app or the Tranzer app.
  • Buy a ticket in advance in our service shop in Amersfoort, the U-OV service shop in Utrecht and at the U-OV tram stops.

How do I travel with a child without their own payment card?
Children aged 4 to 11 travel for free with an adult and do not need a ticket (max. 3 children free per adult). Children up to 3 also always travel for free. Is your child older than 11 or are you travelling with more than 3 children? Then you can:
  • Have a child/your children check in on a 2nd, 3rd … (digital) debit card/credit card. Your plastic debit card is seen as a different card than the one on your mobile or smartwatch. So you can travel on your plastic debit card while your child travels on a different debit card or the debit card on your mobile.
  • Buy an e-ticket for your child/children in advance in, for example, the 9292 or Tranzer app.
  • Buy tickets in advance in our service shop in Amersfoort, the U-OV service shop in Utrecht and at the U-OV tram stops.
  • Buy a public transport chip card for your child (see here where to buy them): Service point finder - OV-chipkaart.nl

I don't want to check in and out with my debit or credit card. What can I travel with?

When I get on the bus I find out that I can no longer buy a ticket from the bus driver. What now?
Check in with your debit card, credit card or mobile phone or purchase an e-ticket in the 9292 app or the Tranzer app.

I am a foreign tourist, how do I pay?
With most foreign contactless debit or credit cards you can simply check in and out: Maestro, V PAY, Mastercard and Visa. Or buy an e-ticket in the 9292 app or the Tranzer app.

I am traveling with a group: how can I pay for others?
You can easily buy multiple e-tickets in advance in the  9292 app or the Tranzer app.

I would like a receipt to declare my trip. Is that possible?
Yes, you can! You can request a statement overview via the OVpay app.

I want to check in and out with my debit/credit card, but I get an error message. What should I do?
Do you get the message “pay differently”? Then it may be that:
  • The last payment was not successful: top up your account balance and hold the card in front of a card reader. After 15 minutes you can check in again. Even faster and easier is to arrange this yourself via the OVpay website or app. Read here how to do that.
  • Card blocked for public transport: Contact your bank.
  • Card not suitable: Travel with a different card.
  • Card not readable or expired: Request a new payment card.
Ticket sales on the bus will end on October 1st
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