Safe on the Rotterdam bus after midnight: ‘I started running, he started running’

“In a bigger city there are always a lot of strange people walking around.”

“I already had an error on the train. Two boys will sit close to you.”

“Smacking their lips. And hiss. Psst. Psst.”

“It’s okay during the day, but at night some men start haunting.”

Noa (21), Anna (23) and Kristel (21) from Hippolytushoef are sitting in front of the McDonalds on the Coolsingel after midnight on Friday, with fries and a chicken burger. They are spending a night in Rotterdam with a group of eight for a performance by De Vrienden van Amstel LIVE in Ahoy. It was great, they say. They are aware, they also say, that as a young woman in Rotterdam you have to pay attention, especially in the evening.

That’s right. Especially now. On New Year’s Eve, the police called on women to be “extra alert” because research had shown that there had been several reports of assaults in Rotterdam Center and Rotterdam North. This week it became clear that there were six reports of sexual assault since mid-November, most likely by one person. The police recently shared fairly clear photos of the suspected perpetrator: a man with dark hair and dark eyebrows dressed in a short puffer jacket on a bicycle. There are now dozens of tips.

‘Smack in the face’

Noa, Anna and Kristel were not afraid. “We can hold our own,” says Anna. Moreover, there are eight of them on the road; five friends are sitting a table away. There are three boys in the group of friends. “Although we would be more likely to punch an attacker in the mouth than they would,” says Kristel. They laugh loudly.

They think the white bus, a large camper model, which is parked further away next to the Stadhuisplein, is a very good initiative. Safe ‘R Spot is written in large letters. Inside there is a table with chairs, a heater and a first aid kit. The bus is a safe place for anyone who needs it and is there until 5 am on Friday and Saturday nights. Everyone can go there: women, and sometimes also men, who have been harassed or otherwise feel harassed. Furthermore, everyone is welcome for a plaster, to recover, to sober up – there are puke bags – for a cup of tea. On Stadhuisplein most evenings it is mainly young people who pass by.

We are there to listen and to help, says Anouk Bol (24), who is standing next to the bus with Eveline Verhage (24). They are on duty this Friday night. Anouk Bol started the Safe Night Foundation three years ago with Jara Tees. They provided so-called awareness crewin entertainment venues. These are people who, recognizable by a luminous band on their arm and a pink shirt, move among the dancing audience and who offer help if necessary.

Rotterdam nightlife is great, says Anouk Bol. “At night, young people can discover their identity, make friends, party, feel good, and feel relatively anonymous. But that’s only fun if you feel safe.” Her ideal is that everyone feels responsible for that safety. “Bystanders can help if someone is being attacked, friends can speak to each other if one of them crosses a line.”

Liveable Rotterdam Initiative

In 2023, the municipality of Rotterdam came up with the plan for the bus as a safe place at the initiative of Leefbaar councilor Robert Simons (Port, Economy, Hospitality). Anouk Bol and Jara Tees joined. They now work for the municipality and have a group of 16 people, two of whom are always present on and near the bus in the center every Friday and Saturday night. They work together with the police, enforcers and security guards from the surrounding catering establishments. Groups of police officers are constantly cycling around on mountain bikes. “How are things going there?” Short chat, move on. “That goes on all night long,” says Anouk Bol.

A couple walks past the bus. The man is agitated. He just entered a bar hand in hand with his girlfriend, he says. “Beautiful lady,” a visitor called to his girlfriend. Her boyfriend immediately didn’t feel like it anymore. “You don’t say that to a lady,” he growls. Anouk listens kindly. “Don’t let it ruin your evening,” she says. “We’re going to Mac,” the man shouts. “Shall we bring you something?”

There were no disturbing reports this night. A weekend earlier, a young girl knocked on the door whose breasts had been touched against her will. Tonight it will remain quiet in the city. It is cold and many people may have run out of money after the expensive month of December, Bol and Verhage suggest.

The man from just now and his girlfriend return. They have fries and chicken nuggets.

Followed to her front door

Luna (21), Britte (21) and Angelina (19) rush to The Grit, a club on Stadhuisplein. They are not afraid, but Luna and Britte’s mothers had both warned about the attacker. They regularly feel unsafe. Angelina was recently followed to her front door. She had the key clutched between her fingers to use if necessary. Angelina sometimes carries plaster spray with her, which is said to work like pepper spray.

Alexa (21) and Mara (20) from Romania walk past the bus. They study in Rotterdam and live there for two years. Are they ever bothered? Very often. I was followed twice by a man, says Mara. “I thought that was terrifying.” Alexa too. In the Witte de With entertainment street. “I started running, he started running too. There weren’t many people on the street, the people I saw were drunk.” They think the bus is a very good idea. They would prefer to see a bus in every neighborhood.

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