Dutch public transport companies are launching a campaign on Monday to get travelers back on the train, tram and bus. With the campaign, the sector wants to radiate that public transport is a safe way to travel. The number of public transport users lags far behind the numbers before the corona crisis.
The campaign lasts three months and can be seen and heard on radio, television, billboards and online communications.
It has never happened before that the Dutch public transport companies have jointly initiated such a large campaign, but the corona crisis has led to a unique situation, reports Pedro Peters, director of umbrella organization OV-NL.
“During the lockdown, public transport continued to operate as a vital sector at the request of the national government”, he says. “We kept the Netherlands mobile with almost empty trains, buses, trams, metros and ferries.” But the number of travelers plummeted: during the lockdown, the number of travelers was 90 percent lower than usual.
The measures were relaxed a few months ago, but the number of travelers remains small. The occupancy is on average around 50 percent of what was customary before the crisis. This is partly due to the government’s call to work from home as much as possible.
The sector is expected to suffer a loss of 500 million euros this year. The public transport sector received a financial injection from the government, but this scheme will expire at the end of 2020. In principle, public transport must be able to keep up its own pants again in 2021.
Travelers do not yet know that they are ‘very welcome’
“Many people and companies do not yet know that they are again very welcome in public transport,” says Peters. “This is a reason for all public transport companies in the Netherlands to set up a national campaign together. We would like people to experience again how pleasant and responsible it is to travel by public transport.”
Travelers are mainly asked to drive outside rush hour. The rules of the RIVM will of course continue to apply, Peters emphasizes. “We ask travelers to wear a mouth mask, travel as much as possible throughout the day, avoid crowds and stay at home in case of complaints,” he says.
The corona crisis is also leaving traces on the road. The number of cars on the road has now almost returned to the old level (93 percent). But people drive much less during rush hour and use the car for shorter journeys. Partly as a result of this, the traditional autumn traffic jams in rush hour are not yet available.
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