Drivers in regional transport have again laid down work today to enforce a better collective labor agreement. For the waiting passengers, it mainly caused a lot of uncertainty and irritation at the bus station. According to the carriers, everything will be back to normal tomorrow.
The strike within the regional transport caused a lot of frustration at the bus station today. “I’ve had a long day,” says a waiting lady at the Hoofddorp bus station. “Then it is very annoying if the bus does not come.”
’75 percent don’t drive’
Today is a strike in the regional transport. Carriers EBS and Transdev (Connexxion and the Schiphol line) provide regional transport in the province, with the exception of Amsterdam. EBS operates in the Waterland region. Transdev covers the regions of Zaanstreek, Amstelland-Meerlanden, Noord-Holland Noord, Haarlem-IJmond and ‘t Gooi. City transport (such as the GVB) and NS are not affected by this strike.
On OV app 9292 it is difficult to estimate exactly how many buses are not running. According to the app, 25 to 75 percent of regional transport is not running today. EBS reports that about 40 percent of the buses do run in Waterland.
Strike again
“Tomorrow everything will be back to normal,” said the spokesman for carrier EBS. He does not foresee any problems with the timetable. “We now know, unfortunately from experience, that everyone goes back to work the next day after a strike.”
Two weeks ago, the staff in regional transport also stopped working. Trade unions CNV and FNV have announced that they will strike again in regional transport if employers do not come up with a better wage offer.
Carrier Transdev could not be reached for comment.