How to ride public transportation in Rotterdam

Rotterdam’s public transportation runs on one agency, RET, and one simple rule: tap in, tap out, every time. There’s no flat fare to memorize — a contactless bank card or phone is your ticket, and you’re billed by the distance you actually travel.

The basics

RET operates Rotterdam’s metro, tram, and bus network, plus a weekend-only Nightbus that runs Friday and Saturday nights, and a fast ferry. One of the metro lines, RandstadRail Metro line E, continues past Rotterdam all the way to The Hague, so it doubles as the regional link between the two cities as well as the route out to the airport.

Unlike some cities, Rotterdam’s metro stations have fare gates — you tap in to get through them and tap out to leave. Buses and trams don’t have gates, but they do have card readers by the doors, and the same tap-in/tap-out rule applies there too.

How to pay

RET uses the Netherlands’ OVpay system:

1. Tap a contactless debit card, credit card, or your phone (Apple Pay / Google Pay) on the reader when you board, and tap again when you get off. You don’t need to register or activate anything first — the fare is worked out from the distance between your tap-in and tap-out, and it’s deducted from your bank account the next day. Just make sure to use the same card or device for the whole trip.
2. Use an OV-chipkaart (personal or anonymous) loaded with balance, the same way — tap in, tap out.
3. Buy a mobile barcode ticket in the RET app if you’d rather not tap a bank card, then scan the barcode at the metro gate or on the bus/tram reader to check in and out, the same way you’d tap a card.

Because the fare is calculated by distance, tapping out matters as much as tapping in — it’s the only way the system knows where your trip ended.

Fares

RET charges a base fare plus a per-kilometer rate on whatever you tap — bank card, phone, or OV-chipkaart balance:

A short hop across the city center costs little more than the base fare; a longer ride out toward The Hague on Metro E adds up by the kilometer.

Getting from the airport

Rotterdam The Hague Airport (RTM) connects to the city by RandstadRail Metro line E and RET bus 33:

• From Rotterdam Centraal, ride Metro line E to Meijersplein, then change to bus 33 — or take bus 33 the whole way from Rotterdam Centraal.
• The trip takes under 30 minutes.
• On weekdays, the first service of the day reaches the airport by around 5:48am.
• Tap in and out with the same OVpay card or phone you’d use anywhere else on RET — note that card payment on this route runs in second class only and doesn’t apply an age discount.
• A taxi stand (Rotterdam Airport Taxi) sits right outside the terminal, and there’s a hub for shared e-bikes and scooters just outside too if you’d rather ride in yourself.

Apps to download

• RET app — buy a mobile barcode ticket if you don’t want to tap a bank card.
• OVpay — review your tap-in/tap-out trips and bill, and register an age discount against your card.
• 9292 — the Dutch national journey planner, useful since it covers every operator, not just RET.
• Google Maps — fine for straightforward trip planning with live RET data built in.

When it runs

RET’s metro, tram, and bus lines run throughout the day. On Friday and Saturday nights, the RET Nightbus network takes over once the regular daytime lines stop, linking the city center and surrounding areas until the first daytime services start back up.

Accessibility

All of Rotterdam’s metro stations have ramps, lifts, and escalators. Buses and trams board low-floor, and a growing number of stops offer level-floor boarding via a raised platform or extendable ramp — look for the wheelchair sticker at the stop, since not every stop has it yet. Reserved seating is available behind the driver on trams and near the front door on buses. A handful of metro stations — including Rotterdam Central, Blijdorp, and Nesselande — have wheelchair-accessible toilets. Mobility scooters aren’t permitted on RET buses.

Etiquette & local quirks

• Tap in, tap out — always, even on transfers. Since the fare is distance-based, skipping the tap-out means the system has no way to know where you actually got off.
• Keep using the same card for a single trip. Tapping in with one card and out with another breaks the fare calculation.
• Metro stations have fare gates, but buses and trams run on open boarding with a reader by the door — don’t assume you can skip tapping just because there’s no barrier.

Good to know

• You don’t need to buy anything before you arrive: any contactless Visa, Mastercard, or similar bank card (or your phone) works straight off at the OVpay readers, charged at the standard adult fare.
• RandstadRail Metro line E is a joint service linking Rotterdam and The Hague, so if you’re heading between the two cities, it’s the same metro line you’d use to reach the airport.