The bus driver of line 11 does not have much time when he stops in the center of Budel. But he does let it be known from behind the wheel that there is always a lot of ‘hassle’ at the stop in front of the asylum seekers’ centre. “A lot of swearing. I’m glad that stop is gone. It made me despondent.” Bus company Hermes decided last week not to stop at the AZC in Budel. Reason: the drivers are spat on and threatened.
According to Hermes, it happens every day. “It mainly concerns people who do not want to pay,” says the bus driver. “Female colleagues had to pay the price.” He was almost attacked himself once by an aggressive asylum seeker. “Fortunately, he was stopped by his companions.”
Passenger Ruben te Raaij gets on with him. He travels two to three times a week with line 11 past the azc in Budel. “I have never seen anyone spat on,” he says. “But it is very common for people to try to get on the bus without a ticket.”
“Bus stops for a long time and people miss the train.”
Ruben speaks of large groups who then want to take the bus. “The bus remains stationary for too long, which in turn causes frustration for other travelers on the bus. People miss the train for an appointment.” Ruben never felt unsafe. “Women also travel with children for groceries. In my opinion, it is mainly the groups of men in their late twenties, early thirties.”
Ruben understands that people no longer stop at the AZC. “If you are systematically bothered by this, I understand that you raise it. It’s not just about the driver’s job. Of course, he also feels responsible for the other people on the bus.”
“Annoying because we also depend on it.”
Hamza Boudsi and Nouri Hahemi from Morocco and Algeria have been living at the asylum seekers’ center in Budel for almost a month now. They say that they regularly tried to get on the bus without money. “But it’s not that we made problems, I don’t like problems. If it didn’t work out, we just left,” says Hamza. “If I had money, I would pay.”
Hamza and Nouri regularly run black on the train from Maarheeze station, although that has now become more difficult due to stricter controls. “I understand that the bus is no longer running,” says Nouri. They say that they themselves have witnessed ‘problems’ that fellow residents of the azc have with security. “I also understand how it is for women on the train,” says Hamza. “That’s why I never get angry. If I was caught, I would just follow along and get kicked out at the next station.”
“It’s a pity that good people also suffer from this.”
A group of men from Syria and Yemen is waiting in vain at the bus stop. They have only been living at the AZC for a few days. “I actually wanted to visit my uncle,” says the Syrian, equipped with a backpack and trolley. He does not want to be named. “I’m afraid it will affect my application. But the bus really isn’t coming? That is annoying, because we also depend on it. It is a pity that good people also suffer from this.”
READ ALSO: Bus no longer stops at azc Budel, drivers threatened and spat on