Amsterdam’s public transport company GVB will have to slash routes, weekend and evening services next year because of city council funding cuts, transport executive Eric Wiebes says in an interview with Tuesday’s Parool.

The city plans to cut spending on public transport by €13m in 2012. ‘These are hefty cuts and lots of Amsterdammers will be hit,’ Wiebes told the paper.
In future years, if planned savings go ahead, six of the 16 tram lines will be cut, as will 20 out of 44 bus routes, Wiebes said. ‘We can’t save much on maintenance and infrastructure so the money will have to come from day-to-day running costs,’ Wiebes told the paper.
The coalition agreement includes a deal to cut spending on public transport by a total €120m a year from 2013 to 2017 in Amsterdam, The Hague and Rotterdam.
The government says this can be achieved by putting public transport services out to tender, but all three cities are opposed, saying they have already slashed spending and boosted efficiency.