In the final new timetable of the public transport agency Groningen Drenthe for 2024, fewer bus lines will be canceled than originally intended. Eight bus lines have been saved for the time being, two of which are in Drenthe.
The draft proposal from the Public Transport Agency at the beginning of May resulted in a total of seventy objections from travellers. Most complaints were about the eight bus lines that still remain intact. These are line 59 Gieten-Exloo, line 77 Gieten-Bareveld, line 36 Oldehove-Winsum, line 174 Zuidbroek-Veendam, line 17 Scheemda-Winschoten, line 43 Woldendorp-Delfzijl, city line 8 Groningen-Hoogkerk and city line 19 between Vestdijklaan and Europa Park station.
The public transport agency thinks it can save a lot by extending the holiday schedule. During the Christmas holidays, there is also a Saturday timetable on working days. With an extra financial contribution, some adjustments can also be prevented. In Drenthe, for example, line 20 Assen-Smilde-Diever continues to run twice an hour during off-peak hours.
However, the frequencies of some Qliners are going down. For example, Qliner 310 Assen-Veendam will largely reduce from two to once per hour between Gieten and Veendam on working days. According to the public transport agency, Qbuzz deploys extra buses during rush hour where necessary.