Refuse jobs in the city center
In principle, he no longer takes on jobs in the city center. Except for real emergencies. But as an entrepreneur he also has to be strict about this and see whether it costs him more time and money than it yields: ”It is almost impossible to organize anymore. It takes so much time.”
He is not the only one: “I have been working in Amsterdam for years, but I just refuse to go to some streets these days,” says Nabil, a plumber from Amsterdam. “It sometimes takes you half an hour just to find a parking space, and then you have to walk a long way with heavy items. That is not possible.”
His car was almost towed away recently, but he had no choice due to an emergency. His colleague from Volendam, who wants to remain anonymous, has even stopped taking clients in the city: “It’s all misery. I prefer to work outside Amsterdam, at least I can park my bus there properly.”