NS wants to launch a new taxi offer at stations in 2022 to replace the NS Zonetaxi. That writes the magazine Passenger Transport on its website. After the disappearance of the popular Treintaxi, a subsidized shared taxi model that lasted for almost a quarter of a century, on January 1, 2014, the railways came up with the considerably less attractive alternative of the (commercial) NS Zonetaxi, in collaboration with the Dutch taxi world.
The Zonetaxi is not a shared taxi, it runs from 327 stations and the prices are based on the distance travelled: the starting rate is €8,60, up to 4 km it is €11,85, up to 6 km €15,10, up to 8 km € 18,35 and those who want to drive further pay € 3,25 per km with a maximum of 30 km. Payment is made in advance with iDEAL based on the price calculated by the route planner. Postpay is also possible, but then the customer must register and issue a digital direct debit authorization.
What was unique about the Train Taxi was the new concept of rental per seat: the passenger rented a seat for five guilders. It made the Traintaxi more public transport-like and less taxi-like. Incidentally, in order to allow more customers to board after the arrival of the train(s), the driver had to wait 10 minutes after the first passenger had boarded and was able to make a detour en route. Later, in 2000, when the Train Taxi served no fewer than 111 stations, the fare went to 5 euros. Originally, three percent of train passengers used the Train Taxi; later that dropped to 0,75 percent.
The Train Taxi, in which NS and the joint Dutch taxi world had been working together since 1989 through chain manager Transvision, disappeared because local and regional authorities were no longer prepared to subsidize the popular taxi product. NS paid 5 million euros per year for the Traintaxi. The last attempt to finance both through a merger between Treintaxi and Regiotaxi failed. At the end of the ride, a patchwork of financing had emerged.
To get the new year off to a good start, NS will abolish the name and services of the NS Zonetaxi as of 31 December. The current taxi offer at stations will then stop and is "expected in the course of 2022". But "in the meantime, we will of course continue to offer a taxi service at the station, which is almost the same as the current offer," says NS.
From December 31, Zonetaxi travelers will no longer be able to create an account to travel on account. Taxi offer, conditions and rates remain the same. NS is now working “on a broader range of taxis. In contrast to NS Zonetaxi, the aim is that the new offer can be used from every station. More information about the new service will follow next spring.”
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