Bus line 84 between Drachten and Assen will stop permanently and the bus will disappear from the villages of Zuidvelde and Een. Arriva and the Groningen Drenthe public transport agency have decided that. Nevertheless, there is a chance that some form of public transport will continue to exist in the villages.
The public transport agency sees opportunities to start a neighborhood bus project for the villages of Een, Norg, Zuidvelde and possibly also Haulerwijk. A first discussion about this will soon take place with the municipality of Noordenveld.
In total, the public transport agency received 21 responses about the cancellation of bus line 84. A petition with 466 signatures was also submitted from the villages of Een and Zuidvelde. This could not change the public transport agency and Arriva.
“Since this line is operated by transport company Arriva on behalf of the province of Fryslan, we have consulted with them in response to the responses and petition received to see what options are available as a suitable transport alternative,” the public transport agency said. That option is the neighborhood bus.
Eight residents of Zuidvelde and Een, mainly pupils and students, use the bus line every day. Due to the disappearance of the bus from their village, they will first have to cycle to Norg in the future, before they can travel on to Assen and Groningen by bus. The villages are afraid that the quality of life will deteriorate due to the disappearance of the last bus line.
Christel Pijpker, villager and PvdA councilor in Noordenveld who committed to preserving bus route 84, is surprised. “In any case, it means that our protests have been heard. But I am curious what it will look like and how it will be paid for. A neighborhood bus will at least offer the villages some relief.”
Bus line 84 will continue to run until December 11.