Not the next government, but the current one, must invest an extra 1 billion euros in public transport in the region and city on Budget Day. Otherwise, rates will rise by almost 12 percent in 2024 or timetables will have to be drastically cut.
And with a bit of bad luck, even both. The provinces and city regions fear that travelers will then be chased away from public transport en masse.
The biggest reasons why a lot of money is needed are simple: the public transport companies have increased personnel costs and higher fuel and energy costs. The number of travelers is still increasing, but is still not at the old level before the corona crisis. So rising expenses and less income. Transport deputy Henk Jumelet and his predecessor Nelleke Vedelaar have already sent two urgent letters to the cabinet. But the government is not yet moving.
“A disaster is unfolding in public transport. We are sounding the alarm about the financial situation of public transport in the Netherlands and certainly also for Groningen and Drenthe,” chairman Johan Hamster of the Groningen Drenthe public transport agency wrote to Minister Hanke Bruins Slot. “Further reductions in the timetable are not an option, the bottom of the line network has been reached.”
Hamster continues: “In addition to eliminating bus lines, we have already had to significantly reduce the frequency of the number of buses per hour. This is not about reducing a bus every ten minutes to once every fifteen minutes, but often to a bus once an hour: This really puts pressure on the accessibility, quality of life and accessibility of the countryside.”
If the government does not help regional and urban public transport companies, rates will have to increase by almost 12 percent in 2024. This is on top of another price increase that will already be a fact this autumn (2023): 7 percent. The government is partly to blame for this because the current indexation – which is more money to pay increased costs – lags behind the actual cost increases at public transport companies.
Then you are talking about a rate increase of about 20 percent in two years, concludes South Holland deputy Frederik Zevenbergen on behalf of all regional governments at RTL News. “This is how you scare people out of public transport. That is why we call on the House to release resources through the Budget Memorandum to dampen the price increase.”
The province will pay extra again next year to cover the million-dollar shortfall for public bus transport. In addition, there will be a significant increase in the financial reserves of the Groningen Drenthe public transport agency. Due to these measures, the current timetable remains reasonably intact.
According to deputy Henk Jumelet and many political parties in the Provincial Council (PS), this has reached the bottom of what should be the basis of public transport in our province. The causes of the current million shortage: the number of bus passengers has still not returned to the level before the corona crisis. So there is less income. The price of electricity and biodiesel for buses has also risen sharply since the war in Ukraine. Just like recently the wages of bus drivers. Finally, Qbuzz has high absenteeism due to illness and that costs money.
But The Hague’s help for regional public transport after corona will also stop. Plus the government’s indexation lags behind reality.
The cutback of 8.2 million euros for next year can be achieved via a so-called three-stage rocket. A cut in the timetable of 2.5 million euros. This means that buses run less often on the ‘big bus lines’. The public transport agency Groningen Drenthe also wants to ‘stretch’ the holiday timetables. Not six, but seven weeks in the summer holidays, two weeks around Christmas on a Saturday timetable and, just like in the May holidays, also two weeks on a holiday timetable.
The public transport agency will draw 3.5 million euros from the reserves. In addition, the provinces and the municipality of Groningen must contribute extra: 2.15 million euros more. Drenthe will cough up more than 750,000 euros extra next year.
The long-term financial situation of public bus transport in Drenthe and Groningen will remain bad if the government does not provide more money. If Drenthe and Groningen do not want to put the almost 12 percent fare increase on the traveler’s plate, a bigger problem will arise next year, amounting to millions, the public transport agency has calculated.
Failure to increase rates will result in a deficit of 11.5 million euros in 2024, which will increase to 44.2 million euros over a multi-year period. That deficit can only be covered by a drastic reduction in the timetable and/or an even higher contribution from both provinces and the city of Groningen, the Groningen Drenthe public transport agency writes in its budget.
All public transport companies – including those in urban areas – are faced with higher fuel and energy prices, higher personnel costs and shortages. The only major difference is the frequency of transport. Example: line 94 from Emmen to Schoonebeek and Klazienaveen runs once an hour and the last bus of the day is at 6:30 PM. Tram 5 from Amsterdam Central to Amstelveen runs five to six times an hour and the last tram runs between midnight and 1:00 am.
But public transport is also in danger of becoming unaffordable in the cities, just like in the countryside. That is why extra money is now needed, Amsterdam councilor Melanie van der Horst tells RTL News. “Without intervention, public transport will simply become unaffordable for low and middle incomes. While so many people depend on it to get to work or school. We actually need more public transport to keep our cities and the countryside attractive and accessible.”
Traveler organization Rover also wants politicians to take measures against price increases in public transport. According to Rover, public transport is in danger of becoming unaffordable for some people.
Intervention must now be taken on Budget Day, Van der Horst continues. “This is a major problem nationally and I therefore ask the government for a national solution. The proposals are already there, we now need a government that will stand in favor of public transport and help us to keep the country accessible to everyone.”
Van der Horst is also appealing to the House of Representatives for a solution. Before the summer, the entire House of Representatives already believed that the government should invest more money in regional public transport to prevent a devastation in the countryside. This resulted in a wall-to-wall motion against the impoverishment of public transport.