News item | 05-04-2022 | 9:00 am
The shuttle bus that runs between Emmen station and the registration center in Ter Apel can continue to run until the end of 2026. State Secretary Van der Burg of Justice and Security will provide financing for the shuttle bus for the remainder of 2022. After that, a tender process will be launched for a period of four years.
Workaround
The shuttle bus was deployed for the first time in 2019 in response to nuisance by asylum seekers on bus line 73 between Emmen and Ter Apel. The use of the shuttle bus has significantly reduced the nuisance. With the financing for this year and the tender process for the period after that, the shuttle bus can continue to run all day in the coming years. It is the intention, however, that the shuttle bus will no longer be necessary in the long term and that structural solutions will be found for the nuisance problem. That is why it has been agreed with the municipality of Westerwolde, among others, that the use of the shuttle bus will be phased out as soon as possible.
Local commitment desperately needed
The group that causes nuisance is relatively small, but it does undermine support for the reception of people who really need our protection. Local efforts and cooperation are urgently needed to tackle nuisance in a targeted manner. Local parties are often best able to estimate which approach suits the local problem, such as this shuttle bus. The government is also taking various measures for the national approach to nuisance-causing asylum seekers.