Throughout the country, 1 in 3 bus rides is in danger of being lost due to the end of the corona support.
During the weekend, no more buses stop at the GGZ institution Antes, just outside Rotterdam. And that's not just the case there. Across the country, 1 in 3 bus rides is in danger of being lost due to the end of the government's corona support. “The bus is indispensable,” says director of the institution Suzanne Nauta. It concerns line 79 from metro station Poortugal to the GGD institution Antes just outside Rotterdam.
The bus no longer runs on weekends for almost half a year. “unprofitable”, says the carrier RET. The GGD institution has strictly complied with the COVID measures, which resulted in a drastic reduction of travelers on the relevant bus line. According to the spokesman for the RET, Rolf Harbers, they had to delete the line because they now also have to absorb all loss-making lines. The public company RET still has 15 to 20 percent fewer travelers than before the pandemic.
unimaginable
This is unimaginable for the Rover traveler's association. As a traveler you just want to be able to go to work or you want to be able to provide informal care. If 1 in 3 rides falls out, that will become impossible. “Nobody sits on the bus alone for fun”, says Bos, “but that one ride is really important for that person”.
"what those companies do is remove the unprofitable journeys"
According to Bos, these are socially desirable rides. Not only bus rides are being cancelled, trains are also not nearly as full as before corona. Research by TU Delft shows that 1/5 of the travelers indicate that they will travel less by train. The main reason for this is on the one hand more working from home. Expectations are that people may work from home for 1 to 2 days. In addition, the research shows that some people do not yet feel free to travel by public transport. Due to disappointing passenger numbers, public transport operators are asking for financial support so that everything can continue to run. Also to the outside areas.
"We think public transport is important as a cabinet and that is why we have extended this reimbursement for some time"
