Android phone users can check in for bus and train journeys using their mobile after an ‘OV chip’ app went live on Monday.

Subscribers to Vodafone, KPN, Telfort, Simyo and Yes Telecom can swipe their phones at check-in points rather than use their OV chipcard once they have registered online. However, the system is currently only available to passengers paying the full fare.

Passengers rights group Rover said it was pleased with the development of the app as a viable alternative to the ‘outdated’ chipcard system.

‘There is a real need for new payment methods on the public transport network,’ said spokesman Sanne van Galen. ‘At the moment you first need to buy an OV chipcard and then keep topping it up.’