To the disappointment and anger of the residents of Een, no regular bus has been driving through the village since December. They fought for an alternative and with success: a Frisian local bus has been calling at the village since Monday morning.
The arrival of the Opsterland neighborhood bus was celebrated in Een on Monday morning with coffee and cake. The village was deprived of a bus connection for almost five months. Thanks to the volunteers of the Frisian neighborhood bus, the busless era has come to an end. Not the complete solution, but: “At least now you get out of Een again,” says Tammo Oldenhuis, chairman of Dorpsbelangen Een.
Oldenhuis is very happy with the arrival of the local bus, which will stick a Drenthe loop through Een and Een-West to the Frisian route. From Monday, the bus will run six times a day, every two hours, on office days. There is no fixed stop, anyone who wants to join raises a hand. Normal public transport rates apply on the bus. Residents of Een can take the local bus to Haulerwijk to transfer to Drachten and Assen, among others.
Solution from an unexpected angle
“We have sounded the alarm about the disappearance of the bus and we are happy that it apparently helps,” says Oldenhuis. Municipal councilor and resident of Een Christel Pijpker started a petition and discussions followed with the municipality, province, transport companies and the public transport agency. “And then a solution comes from a side that you do not expect,” said a delighted chairman.
“The neighborhood bus association is committed to accessibility and quality of life in small villages. Several neighborhood bus associations are active in Friesland,” explains Oldenhuis. Volunteer bus drivers ensure that the bus runs according to the timetable, supported by the carrier Arriva, which provides the bus and fuel. Municipalities in Drenthe could also look into this form of bus transport, says Oldenhuis.
Market forces are drama
He still finds it difficult to estimate how much the Eeners will use the bus. It has been agreed that its use will be evaluated in a year’s time. “We will continue to ring the bell for the return of a scheduled bus,” says Oldenhuis. “Especially a direct connection between Norg and Assen is important. Those are cores where secondary education is located.” Alternatives to increase the accessibility of the village, such as adjustments to the dark road between Norg and Een, will also be investigated in the near future.
The chairman is proud that his fellow villagers have contributed to the discussion about cutbacks in public transport and the effects on quality of life in small villages and thinks he has seen a change. “I have also said it to the public transport office and the deputy: market forces are a disaster for the countryside in this respect. Real drama, it works through everything. Ultimately, politicians have to make choices about this and we all know how long that will take.”