The reasons given by the carrier are the withdrawal of one of the shareholders due to personal circumstances and poor business conditions.
10 months after the start, MRC Netherlands has informed the municipal council of Amstelveen and alderman for Care and WMO Marijn van Ballegooijen (PvdA) that it will stop WMO transport as of 1 November 2022. The municipality of Amstelveen was unpleasantly surprised by this, especially in view of the short term in which they stop transporting. The municipality immediately investigated the possibilities of continuing the transport and entered into discussions with the second party from the previous public tender.
In the meantime, consultations have taken place with this party and it looks like we can place WMO transport with this company on the basis of the earlier tender. This carrier also intends to take over the current staff, which is necessary to be able to continue the transport immediately. The name of the carrier that will take over the transport is already circulating in the corridors, so that it can probably pass silently, but the contract still has to be signed for that.
In the meantime, drivers and permanent employees of MRC have also been informed of this intended decision. According to alderman van Ballegooijen, the new contract is expected to cost more than the old one. This price increase is the result of inflation, the NEA index, higher costs for fuel and personnel and additional investments in sustainable transport. The municipality can still cover these extra costs this year from the budget for WMO transport. The Commission will also investigate whether the current carrier can be held liable for the extra costs.
uncertainty
It is not really surprising to our editors that the shareholders have taken the decision to pull the plug and settle everything properly. Personal circumstances have arisen among shareholders that no longer make it possible to continue with their business operations with the same passion. The current circumstances, such as the staff shortage in the market, may also have contributed to the shutdown. With the decision to suspend the transport activities, the shareholders want to prevent that continuing could lead to bankruptcy.
It is also uncertain for hundreds of children from the Dordrecht region who use student transport on a daily basis whether they will still be able to come to school after the autumn holidays, now that carrier Maasstad has announced that it will cease all activities as of 1 November. These are children for whom regularity, structure and school attendance are important. Talks are now underway with another carrier that may be able to take over the work, but nothing is certain yet.
Maasstad Regie Centrale (MRC) applied earlier this year Scarf the Winter to lead their organization as of April 1, 2022. Sjaak de Winter (1959) was previously director of the Rotterdam Taxi Centrale. De Winter became responsible for management at Maasstad Regie Centrale. The Rotterdam transport company also won a parcel of student transport in Drechtsteden for the municipalities of Barendrecht, Hoeksche Waard, Capelle aan den IJssel, Nissewaard, Ridderkerk and Rotterdam.
