Rotterdam city council faces a tense final vote on November 12, 2027, regarding plans to end free public transit for most seniors.
The municipality decided to stop the current program, which grants free tram, metro, and bus access during off-peak hours to all residents of retirement age, according to [Hart van Nederland]. Roughly 77,000 older residents have used the pass since its 2009 introduction, [nrc.nl] reported.
Under the new proposal scheduled for 2027, only retirees with incomes up to 110 percent of the social minimum will keep free travel. Opposition parties argue the change isolates middle-income seniors who fall just above that threshold.
“I word gestraft als dit wordt afgeschaft. Ik ben afhankelijk van het OV,” a demonstrant told [Hart van Nederland].
Protests at City Hall
Thousands of seniors marched from Rotterdam Central Station to the city hall on Coolsingel to protest the cuts. Rijnmond said that the demonstration was organized by the SP and backed by opposition parties including Leefbaar Rotterdam, Denk, and 50Plus. Organizers handed Chantal Zeegers, the alderwoman for housing and mobility, a mirror shaped like an OV-card to reflect the consequences of her policies, [OPEN Rotterdam] reported. “If this really goes ahead, we will be confined to our homes. Then we’ll soon be sitting behind the geraniums,” Nelly told [nos.nl].
Zeegers defended the budget adjustments during her meeting with the protesters. She said that the city must redirect financial resources toward pressing urban needs, including housing construction, homeless services, and additional municipal enforcement officers.
“At least we did listen by giving that poorest group of people free public transport,” Zeegers said. [Hart van Nederland]. “It is certainly true that people are very worried. But ultimately, we need those financial resources, and that was a considerable gap in our budget.”
Political Clash Over Budget
Leefbaar Rotterdam submitted a vote of no confidence against Zeegers, though the council ultimately voted it down, [nrc.nl] reported. Emin Başoglu of the SP called the plan harmful to older citizens and vital to keeping the city accessible, [OPEN Rotterdam] reported. “We are really going to do everything we can to stop that abolition,” Başoglu told [OPEN Rotterdam].
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