What should have been a magical day full of fun in the Efteling on Saturday ended in hell for Bas van den Dikkenberg (43). After his visit to the amusement park, there were no trains to his hometown. After a long wait for replacement transport, things went completely wrong. While loading his mobility scooter, it fell to the ground. And now he has lost the means of transport on which he depends for at least four weeks. “The NS has promised to come up with a suitable solution,” says Bas.
As a loyal Efteling fan, Bas can often be found in the amusement park, he says Omroep Tilburg. Even though he uses a mobility scooter, Bas always manages to get to Kaatsheuvel by public transport. However, his adventure was less magical on Saturday. When he wanted to return home to Houten, he was told that the trains were not running due to a collision.
Bas contacted the NS and a taxi van was arranged for him. However, his patience was put to the test. “The taxi van was actually supposed to be there at half past eight, but that ended up being only ten past ten,” he sighs. And the cold and wet weather conditions didn’t make the wait any better.
Mobility scooter falls out of taxi
When the taxi finally arrived, loading his mobility scooter was anything but smooth. “The taxi driver lowered the lift and drove my mobility scooter onto it,” Bas explains. But something went wrong during loading: the taxi driver drove the mobility scooter backwards down the lift, instead of forwards into the bus. The mobility scooter fell on its back with a loud crash. Fortunately, Bas was not in it at the time. “Otherwise this could have ended very differently,” he says.
It soon became apparent that there was a lot of damage. His mobility scooter no longer worked and this was also confirmed by the repairman. “The casing is damaged, the seat is broken and the engine also suffered a hard blow. It now needs to be checked from top to bottom. There may also be electronic damage.” And now Bas has lost his mobility scooter for at least four weeks. “They have to order new parts and yes, that takes time,” he explains.
Suitable solution from NS
Fortunately, Bas does not have to be without transportation. The NS will reimburse all damage and provide a replacement mobility scooter during the repair. “I can pick up this replacement in Kaatsheuvel next Friday. Then we’ll add another day to Efteling,” says Bas happily.
All’s well that ends well. “I don’t want to think about having to live without a mobility scooter for four weeks. I am really dependent on that means of transport. And I am therefore very happy that the NS has come up with a suitable solution.”
A spokesperson for the NS said that they are pleased that a solution has been found. “If others are in a similar situation, please always contact customer service. We cannot do magic, but we always want to help travelers. Even if there is a broken elevator, for example, we can see if we can take someone to another station where the elevator works.”