This sometimes creates strange situations, says Visser. “Sometimes you suddenly see a driver running across the bus station because he has to go to the toilet quickly. Because if you are delayed, that time is simply taken off your break.”
And that delay has quickly increased, RTV Drenthe also noticed. Reporter Esmée Söllner was allowed to join Visser for a round. The experienced driver did not have to stop at every stop, was not stuck in traffic and adhered to the speed limit. Despite this, a five-minute bite went out of his break.
The high workload also leads to higher absenteeism due to illness. At the moment it is around 23 percent. This mainly includes people over the age of 60. That is why the trade unions also want an elderly scheme, so that this percentage will go down, according to them.
Travelers are mainly the victims of the disease, says Visser. “Sometimes there is simply no driver who can drive the bus, so the ride is canceled. But sometimes we also feel rushed, because we are already behind schedule. Then you sometimes press the accelerator, but a threshold is then not pleasant for the passengers. They are then bouncing in the bus.”
Travelers will certainly notice the strike this week. Because both unions are going on strike, about 70 percent of bus rides will be canceled, Visser thinks. He hoped the strike would not be necessary. “The threat of a five-day strike alone should have been enough to get around the table. But we can’t do anything with the proposals that are now there.”
He hopes that if nothing comes out of the negotiations now, the government will also put pressure on employers. “But what does our employer do? He sits back and does nothing.”
Nevertheless, Visser thinks he has the best profession in the Netherlands. “We are in an office with a very large view,” he refers to the driver’s seat and the large windscreen. “Especially at sunrise and sunset you sometimes have the most beautiful pictures. And you experience something with passengers. A day is never the same, also because one day you only have long journeys and sometimes only the city services. That variety makes it a wonderful profession.”