Riders on Utrecht's U-OV bus and tram network can get 50 percent off three fare products for two months, the province of Utrecht announced on 21 September. The discounts, running through 20 November, cover two fare caps and an off-peak subscription and are being paid for with money collected through public transport concession penalties.

Under the scheme, the automatic U-OV Max Dag fare cap drops from €10 to €5 for adults and from €6.50 to €3.25 for riders aged 12 to 18. The U-OV Max Maand monthly fare cap falls from €100 to €50 for adults and from €65 to €32.50 for young people. The U-OV Dal Vrij subscription, which covers unlimited off-peak, weekend and holiday travel, goes from €30 to €15 a month; its separate peak-hour monthly cap falls from €70 to €35. Existing users of the two monthly products get the discount automatically; people who sign up during the campaign get one or two months of it depending on when they start. Holders of eligible U-OV Gemak, U-OV Ster and Syntus Utrecht Ster annual passes can instead claim a refund of one month's subscription fee through U-OV's website. The province says around 1.3 million people use its public transport network each week.

The Max products set ceilings rather than replacing each journey with a fixed-price ticket. Qualifying trips are charged normally until the relevant daily or monthly maximum is reached, after which additional eligible travel does not increase the rider's total for that period.

Why the province is paying

The province says it is funding the promotion with money collected through public transport concession penalties. Mobility deputy André van Schie said riders deserve stable schedules and that the province remains committed to reliable service.

A separate promotion is planned for 13 to 31 December, when all OV-chipkaart and OVpay users will pay a flat €1.16 per trip regardless of distance, with reduced flat fares for discount-card holders, students and seniors.