The transport ministry is backing nine experiments to give certain commuters in rush-hour hot spots free public transport, a spokesman confirmed on Monday.

Some €10m has been set aside for the experiments, of which half comes from central government, the rest from employers and provincial councils.
The experiments will be held in Utrecht, around Schiphol airport, Amersfoort, Eindhoven, Enschede, Maastricht, Nijmegen, Waterland and Zwolle. For example, Schiphol airport staff are being given a free month-long rail pass instead of normal travelling expenses.
Parliament last year gave the green light to experiments with free public transport if the aim was to reduce jams. An increasing number of areas are also experimenting with free bus travel for pensioners.