Dongen was the first municipality in Brabant to buy off bus transport in the region for all minima. All residents with a minimum income can now take the bus for free. And Safa Almalih and Maikel Leemans are delighted with that: “Now I can get away from it all. Because otherwise I’m just sitting here alone.”
Safa and Maikel will officially receive the very first free bus passes on Monday morning. A solemn event of course, with speeches by the alderman and the boss of Arriva. But Safa’s son Thijmen is especially interested in the bus that came along as a piece of scenery. The bus driver lets him behind the wheel, so that’s a treat: “He really enjoys traveling by bus,” beams Safa, while Thijmen presses the clutch with his foot.
“Sometimes I have to go somewhere and I can’t afford it.”
Safa Almalih is from Syria and has been living in the Netherlands in Dongen for five years now. She often travels by bus with her son. And that is now possible for free: “I am really happy with that. I can now travel with Thijmen very often, isn’t that nice?”
Because Safa has a tight budget, traveling is not self-evident: “A day ticket is expensive and I can’t always afford it. Then I have to go somewhere and that is not possible. But from now on I can always take the bus.”
There are more municipalities in which minima can use the bus for free, from their budget in the so-called Participation Scheme. But in Dongen, all 230 minima with that regulation will receive a pass in name this week. This allows them to travel for free on Arriva buses to Tilburg, Oosterhout, Breda, Waalwijk and surrounding villages.
“You shouldn’t have to choose between sports for your child or a trip with public transport.”
For alderman Ankie de Hoon, it is very important that the bus is available without barriers for all minima: “We don’t want people to have to choose between taking their child to sports, going to the theater or taking a trip with public transport.”
According to De Hoon, public transport is a necessity of life: “And that is why we have to remove all rules and barriers for them and make it free. So that people regain self-confidence and can participate in society.”
Maikel Leemans also receives a free bus pass from De Hoon on Monday morning. And he is very happy with it. He points to his foot, which is in a stabilizer: “If I have to go to the hospital, I depend on family and friends for transport. But with this pass I can go anywhere I want.”
For Maikel, the pass means freedom: “It’s nice too. Because otherwise I’m just sitting alone, in a bubble. They should do this for the whole of the Netherlands, there are more people who are having a hard time.”
