Amsterdam children up to the age of 12 will be able to use the capital’s buses, trams and metro for free from July to early January 2025.

The free travel scheme will come into effect on July 20, and covers the hours of 9 am to 9 pm so won’t apply to getting to school. Children will also have to be accompanied by an adult to qualify.

A similar experiment last year, which ran from the summer to November, was used by 17,000 children or a quarter of the target group, the Parool reported on Tuesday. In total, children made almost one million free trips.

This year the timing has been adapted to encourage children to make trips to visit friends and family or to enjoy a day out rather than add to rush hour congestion. The council has set aside €1 million to fund the project.

People who want to take advantage of the scheme have to add the free travel option to their child’s personal public transport smart card. The option will be available from July 1.