ANP
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 18:33
Ruben Eg
editor Economics
Ruben Eg
editor Economics
Provinces are seriously concerned about accessibility and therefore the quality of life, especially in sparsely populated regions. They informed the NOS of this in response to staff shortages in city and regional transport, which is causing carriers to regularly cancel trips. “If further downscaling occurs, there will be little public transport left in the province,” says Harry van der Maas, deputy in Zeeland.
In the worst case, “enforcement is an option” for Zeeland, because carriers must adhere to special performance agreements. However, Van der Maas emphasizes that this is not yet the case. “Connexxion has indicated that it is making every effort to offer travelers good alternatives.”
Drenthe fears “transport poverty in certain areas” if public transport is scaled down below the basic level. The province wants a bus to stop at least twice an hour in all areas between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. and once an hour after 7 p.m., a spokesperson said. “Until recently, this was still possible through additional financing by the provinces, but our financial limit has been reached.” The spokesperson emphasizes that after the corona crisis, the financial position of the regional carrier has also been affected.
Measures to reduce the staff shortage in Drenthe have “not had the desired result” in recent months. “Due to the staff shortage, quite a few bus journeys were canceled and the reliability of the service decreased.”
Facilities under pressure
There are also fears for accessibility in the other northern provinces if the timetables for the bus and train are no longer met. Although a spokesperson for the province of Friesland emphasizes that all villages can be reached “by some form of public transport” even in the current situation, there does not seem to be much room for improvement. “The accessibility of work, school and facilities may come under pressure.”
The province of Groningen has noted that there is more going on than just staff shortages at Arriva, for example. Due to working from home introduced during the corona period, not everyone still takes public transport every day. Due to this lost income, the province also believes that the timetable must be cut.
North Holland is also concerned about regional transport. But enforcement is not an option, says a spokesperson for deputy Jeroen Olthof. “That is difficult when drivers are really not there.” That is why North Holland is forced to look for solutions with carriers, for both the short and long term.
In North Holland, for example, the requirements for new drivers may be lowered slightly. “In our concessions it is now permitted to use English-speaking drivers and we are looking for solutions with smaller buses in places where fewer travelers board.” In order to continue to bring North Hollanders from A to B “affordably”, all options are on the table for the province. According to Olthof, public transport must be looked at in a different way: “Because if we continue as we are doing now, nothing will change and things will continue to deteriorate.”
Holding taxi
Also in Zeeland, due to staffing problems in public transport, a traditional bus is no longer sacred. For this reason, a taxi service has been introduced that visits stops at times and days when the bus or train does not run or does not run every hour.
However, the province’s carrier Connexxion must clearly indicate cancellations and alternatives: “Both physically and digitally: in journey planners, on the website, on buses and at the stops.” Zeeland monitors how this is going through a special reporting point.
2023-09-12 16:33:17
#Provinces #concerned #consequences #staff #shortages #urban #regional #transport
