Big cities argue against public transport competition

Public transport in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague can be cheaper but city councils should not expect new buses every five years or frequent services in the early morning or late at night, Dirk le Clerq, head of The Hague’s public transport firm HTM told Nos tv.

The new cabinet plans to cut €120m from the three cities’ budgets, arguing they can earn the money back by putting public transport out to tender.
The city council executives in charge of transport are all from the right-wing Liberal party VVD, who are in broad agreement with the government policy. But all have grave doubts about compulsory tendering, Nos says.
Rotterdam’s public transport chief Pedro Peters says the government is making a major mistake. A new provider will not be able to work cheaper than RET because by law they will be required to use the existing buses and trams, and take on all staff, he points out.
Meanwhile, at the end of this month, private bus firms Arriva, Veolia, Syntus and Connexxion will take the greater Amsterdam region to court, demanding the city put its public transport services out to tender.