A former student was fined 225 euros for not stopping his student travel product on time. He went to court and was partially vindicated. The judge reduced the fine to 75 euros because DUO did not warn the student on time.
That is according to a May 2022 ruling (in Dutch) that recently came online. The case is still ongoing, as study funding agency DUO – or rather the ministry of OCW – has appealed. If the ruling subsequently stands, it could have major consequences for DUO.
Millions in fines
The record for public transport fines was 52.6 million euros in 2014, after which politicians intervened. For example, students are no longer fined if they have not used the card. Yet in 2022, fines still amounted to 6.7 million euros. Despite old promises, public transport companies have not yet made automatic stopping possible.
DUO did not give students a chance to stop their cards in time after a warning, was the judge’s verdict. DUO itself believes it has given enough warnings. Moreover, according to DUO, students receive a message every time they travel with the card and a fine is imposed, ‘each time with a clear explanation that the fine goes up in case of repeated use and how to avoid this’. (HOP, Bas Belleman)
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