The GVB is still struggling with a traveler shortage: office workers more often work from home and tourist numbers are not yet at the level of before corona. As it now appears, the central government will no longer provide additional assistance from 2023 and the GVB may be forced to cancel lines. For some Amsterdammers it will then be a matter of time.
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Non-profitable lines are the first to act. This mainly concerns routes in suburbs where buses are regularly not full. It can have a big impact.
“If you don’t have a car, or you can’t cycle, or especially older people or you have to go to hospital, it’s very bad if they can’t leave,” said Chris Vonk of traveler organization Rover.
Travelers themselves also foresee problems: “I think it’s very bad, because then everything is much more difficult to reach,” says a passenger.
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For some Amsterdammers, the disappearance of the bus lines will even mean that large parts of the city will become inaccessible. “We don’t have a car, so we depend on the tram and the bus.” Walking or cycling seems to be the only other option for many travelers, although that is not possible for everyone: “I am 83” says one of them. “It’s just awful,” said another.
The GVB hopes that negotiations between the provinces, transport authorities and State Secretary Heijnen will eventually lead to a solution. Vonk also emphasizes the importance of state aid, although he also sees other possibilities: “The transport region has promised to spend 30 million euros extra on public transport next year. Who knows, it could be stopped in that way.”
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