For the Rotterdam children's ombudsman Stans Goudsmit, that's enough.
During the interview With Stans Goudsmit at Domestic Governance, a high-quality platform for civil servants and administrators at all levels of government, colleague Julie Wevers notes where the children's ombudsman poses a major risk in tenders. As is often the case with tenders, the municipality of Rotterdam has made one company responsible for the entire target group transport. “You can now see the vulnerability of municipalities when they enter into a contract with one major player through a tender. I also see that happening in youth protection.”
The parties then have to be very nice to each other because as a municipality you cannot just put such a large organization with a local monopoly position aside. No alderman sticks his neck out for that. If you do it anyway, a problem immediately arises because there is no second party who is just ready to take over all the tasks. For Goudsmit, municipalities must also set stricter requirements for drivers in the tender.
"Owning a driver's license is now enough to be able to transport several children with behavioral problems, which is very strange and asks a lot of drivers."
The permanent supervisor has to get back on the bus, which makes the work much less arduous and therefore more attractive. A driver drives two hours in the morning and two in the afternoon. The rate is so low that sometimes packages are picked up along the way to earn some extra money, and you can't blame them for that. Municipalities can also include this in the tender, real rates getting paid.
Goudsmit acknowledges that of course personnel problems play a role, but also indicates that Trevvel also has many other problems has been playing this for a long time, for example in the area of planning. “The company is also unreachable, nobody picks up the phone. And there's an app that doesn't work at all."
Trevvel is indeed responsible for the default for Goudsmit, but the alderman is ultimately responsible for municipal student transport. “It looks like he is actually taking that responsibility and I'm happy about that. He has clearly said that he will be tough on Trevvel from now on.”, says Stans Goudsmit.
Children's Ombudsman
Stans Goudsmit has been the municipal children's ombudsman for Rotterdam, Albrandswaard, Capelle aan den IJssel, Hellevoetsluis, Krimpen aan den IJssel and Vlaardingen since 1 March 2018. She is also deputy ombudsman in Rotterdam and is part of the municipal ombudsman's office. The Ombudsman for Children does not work alone. About 20 people work at the office of the Ombudsman for Children. The employees work for the municipal ombudsman and children's ombudsman.
