Regio Vrij

Regio Vrij is the new subscription available on your OV-pas, debit card or credit card (OVpay). For a fixed monthly fee, it allows you to travel unlimited within a chosen area in the Rotterdam and The Hague region, on services operated by EBS, HTM, RET and Transdev (ParkShuttle). With HTM, Regio Vrij is now available as a monthly subscription that cancels automatically. A rolling subscription option will also be introduced in the course of 2026, where you pay by direct debit and can cancel at any time. 

Regio Vrij is intended for travellers who regularly travel in the Rotterdam and The Hague region, for example to work or school. 

You can choose from 25 different areas in and around Rotterdam and The Hague, so there is almost always an area that suits your travel behaviour.

Regio Vrij is a personal subscription and can only be used by the person whose personal details were provided at the time of purchase. This step is part of the ordering process on htm.nl.

• You can travel unlimitedly throughout your chosen area with multiple transport operators.
• You travel for a fixed monthly fee.
• You check in and out with your OV-pas or debit card. 
• You arrange everything directly online. After purchase, you can start travelling with your subscription immediately. You no longer need to go to a ticket machine to collect your product.
• You can choose from 25 areas, so no more hassle with choice zones and star values.
• You travel with your debit card, so you don't have to pay €7.50 for a (new) public transport chip cardOV-chipkaart

There are also a few disadvantages:

• No reduced fare for people over 65;
• No more annual subscriptions available with the 12 months travel, 10 months pay scheme.

Zones and star ratings were often complicated and confusing, leading to many incorrect choices when purchasing a travel pass. Clear travel areas make choosing easier and more transparent. 

Are you using a Regional Pass in combination with the free P+R scheme in Rotterdam? If so, switching to Regio Vrij is not advisable at this time. To continue parking for free, you must check in and out with an OV-chipkaart. This does not yet work in combination with the debit card (OVpay). 

The price of the Regio Vrij depends on the area you choose and your age.  
The reduced season ticket fare applies to the age categories of children (aged 4 to 11) and young people (aged 12 to 18). The price in 2026 varies between €63 and €304 (full fare) or €42 and €200 (reduced fare) per month.

With Regio Vrij, there is no reduced fare for passengers aged 65 and over. Regio Vrij has the same price level as the old Regio season tickets for the OV-chipkaart, but may be higher or lower because the areas are divided differently from the zones.

You can find an up-to-date overview of the fares here.

Regio Vrij is available for purchase:

• in the online shop at www.htm.nl
• at the HTM Service Shop
• in the RET and EBS online shops

You pay Regio Vrij immediately upon purchase with iDeal/Wero or credit card (www.htm.nl) or with your debit or credit card (HTM Servicewinkel).   

You can choose from 25 areas. These areas have been carefully selected based on common travel patterns.

The rates for 2026 can be found at https:/www.htm.nl/reisproducten/producten-tarieven/

The websites of HTM, EBS, RET and Transdev feature an interactive map where you can zoom in on the 25 different zones to see exactly where the boundaries of each free travel zone lie. 
If you want to avoid having to pay extra for your journeys, choose the Regio Vrij zone so that your entire route falls entirely within the validity area of your travelcard.   

Yes, you can purchase multiple travel areas and link them to a single pass. However, each travel area is a separate subscription, so you will not receive a discount on the price. It is usually more economical to purchase the largest travel area that includes all the lines you wish to travel on. 

Yes, the areas and corresponding prices are the same everywhere. So it doesn't matter where you buy your subscription. The same product conditions apply everywhere. However, the terms and conditions of sale may vary slightly between public transport companies. 

Regio Vrij is a personal subscription. To verify this, we need your key personal details: name, date of birth and passport photo. You must enter/upload these personal details when purchasing the subscription. An email address is also required for this. We use your date of birth to determine whether you are eligible for the reduced subscription rate.  

Please note: if someone else is paying for the subscription (e.g. for a minor user), the name, date of birth and passport photo of the user are required, not those of the parent/guardian paying for the subscription.

Regio Vrij can be added to a single OV-pas, debit card or credit card. HTM recommends always adding Regio Vrij to a plastic card rather than a digital card. Regio Vrij is only available on an OV-pas, debit cards or creditcards (OVpay) and cannot be added to an OV-chipkaart. 

Please note: a plastic and digital debit card linked to the same bank account (IBAN) are technically considered two different cards.

The subscription can start on any day of the month, so it can be today, tomorrow or a date in the future. 

You can purchase Region Vrij for a period of one month. A month runs from the selected start date until the same day in the following month. Example: if the subscription starts on 9 February, you can use it until 8 March. 

You can combine Regio Vrij with another OVpay subscription. A 100% discount always applies within the covered travel regions. This means you can travel freely there. For journeys outside that area, the discount from any second subscription applies. For example, do you have an HTM 20% Discount subscription alongside Regio Vrij? In that case, the HTM 20% Discount applies outside the Regio Vrij area for journeys with HTM. 

When purchasing Regio Vrij, a reduced subscription rate applies to the age categories Child (4 to 11 years) and Youth (12 to 18 years). This rate does not apply to the age group 65 years and older. When travelling with Regio Vrij, you receive a 100% discount within the selected area.  

If you travel outside your chosen area on credit, an age discount (34% reduction) applies to the kilometre and basic fare for the age groups 4 to 11 years and 65 years and older. The youth group (12 to 18 years) does not receive a discount.

The start date of the monthly subscription determines which price is charged. This is based on your age on the start date. 

To add a Regio Vrij subscription to your OV-pas or debit card, you must first register it once in the ‘My’ section. Give the card a clear name in your account so that you know exactly who the card belongs to, and whether it is a physical or digital card.

If you choose to add Regio Vrij to a debit card, please ensure that you have checked in and out with that debit card at least 24 hours ago. On your bank statement, or in your online banking, you will find the journey amount plus the payment reference (also known as the reference number) in the transaction details the day after the journey. You will need this to add Regio Vrij to your debit card. The payment reference consists of 18 digits and letters and begins with ‘NLOV’. For example, ‘NLOV 1234 5678 ABCD EF’. You can also see on your bank statement whether you made the journey using a physical or digital card. 

You can do this via the account section of the transport provider where you purchased the product. 

If your pass has been flagged or blocked, or if it has been lost, stolen, is faulty or has expired, you will not be able to use ‘Regio Vrij’. HTM will not reimburse the subscription fee or any additional travel costs. You should therefore always ensure that you have an unblocked and working pass.

If you receive a replacement card, transfer Regio Vrij to this new card immediately via Mijn HTM. If you do not do this, Regio Vrij will no longer be applied and you will travel on a pay-as-you-go basis.

Please note: banks may replace digital payment cards on your mobile without informing you. HTM therefore advises you to always link Regio Vrij to a public transport pass or a physical payment card. 

You can cancel a purchased subscription before the start date. You will then receive a full refund of the purchase price. Once the monthly subscription has started, you can no longer cancel it.  

Yes, you must! Checking in and out is mandatory! Always check in and out with the exact same pass to which you have added Regio Vrij, otherwise you will not have a valid ticket and you risk a fine. Always check in and out when changing trains. 

When checking in and out within the validity area of your Regio Vrij, you will receive a 100% discount on the journey prices.

If you travel outside the area covered by your Regio Vrij, money will automatically be deducted from your account (if travelling with a debit card) or from your balance (if travelling with a public transport pass) for the distance travelled outside the valid area. You pay an amount per kilometre (kilometre rate) plus the basic fare for the distance travelled outside the valid area. See htm.nl/tarieven for a fare overview with OVpay. 

Please note: If the costs of the journey outside your area cannot be debited from your account or balance, you will no longer be able to check in with Regio Vrij. You must therefore first settle your debt before you can check in again.

Regio Vrij can be used in the area you have purchased for:

• EBS (bus);

• HTM (bus and tram); 

• RET (bus, tram and metro);

• Transdev (bus, ParkShuttle).

Regio Vrij is not valid on night buses or public transport companies other than those mentioned above. The P+R scheme for discounted parking cannot yet be used in combination with Regio Vrij (OVpay).

You can find this information in the My Account section of the transport company with which you travelled using Regio Vrij. You can also find all your journeys in the (free) OVpay app or on the OVpay website. To do this, you must first link your card in the OVpay app or website. You will then see the journeys you have made with your debit card under the “journeys” button.  

Please note: on the “journeys” page, you will only see the fare you have to pay, not the discount you have been given. If you click on a journey you have made, you will see the discounts you have received and the travel pass that has been applied.  

They can scan the pass using the verification device. This will show whether you have checked in and whether your check-in is therefore valid.  

During inspection, a valid check-in and your passport photo must be presented. Failure to do so will result in a fine. 

The Regional Annual Pass on the OV-chipkaart is still available for purchase via htm.nl and our Service Centres. Sales of the current Regional Annual Pass will cease at the end of June 2026. Sales of the Regional Monthly Pass will cease later in 2026. As soon as this happens, we will inform users known to us in good time. 

It is not yet known when these subscriptions will end. We will inform the subscribers known to us in advance when these subscriptions are due to end. 

We have determined the Regio Vrij areas based on travel behaviour with the current Regio subscription on the OV-chipkaart. Areas covered by the current Regio subscription that are exactly the same as Regio Vrij areas have the same price. Regio subscription areas that are larger or smaller than Regio Vrij areas have a higher or lower price. 

Like the Regio subscription, Regio Vrij offers unlimited travel within a predefined area for a fixed monthly fee. However, there are also a number of differences:

• Regio Vrij is available as a monthly subscription, and from 2026 onwards also as a rolling subscription. This gives you much more flexibility than with the Regio subscription, where you have to choose between a one-month or one-year option. Regio Vrij therefore does not offer the discount available with the Regio Annual subscription.
• Regio Vrij now only offers a reduced subscription rate for young people up to the age of 18.
• With Regio Vrij, you choose from 25 fixed zones, rather than having to make your choice via a central zone and star value combination. This makes it simpler and clearer.