Dutch government wants more self-driving buses on the roads
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By Isabella Jacobsen
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Over the past six years, more than 1.100 bus stops have been removed because of bus driver shortages. Now, the Dutch cabinet is stepping in with a new strategy to combat the decline in regional transit.
Self-driving transport to aid staffing shortages
To address public transport driver shortages, State Secretary for Infrastructure and Water Management Annet Bertram (Christian Democratic Appeal) has announced an initiative to fund trials of self-driving buses.
Building on previous tests like the shuttle service operating between the city of Rotterdam and the Rotterdam The Hague Airport, the cabinet will launch three new autonomous-vehicle pilots. The location of these trials has not yet been confirmed.
“[Self-driving transportation] is a bit scary at first, but it is the future. Also to help solve the shortage in public transport,” Bertam told AD.
Bus stop removals are increasing by the day in the Netherlands
According to RTL, a recent ANP analysis of public transport stop data gathered by the Association of decentralised public transport authorities (Samenwerkingsverband van decentrale ov-autoriteiten or DOVA) shows the extent of the decline in bus stops.
In provinces like Drenthe and Groningen, regional transit networks have lost more than 13 percent of stops since 2020. Midden-Drenthe has lost a total of 51 stops, and Groningen Oldambt has lost 75.
People with chronic health conditions or elderly people in the Netherlands who frequently need to go to the hospital are significantly affected by regional transport cuts, with some facing public transport journeys of up to 30 minutes to reach the nearest hospital.
Drivers are in short supply and regions have been given tight budgets, causing operators to cut routes and remove stops, leaving some villages and the edges of cities with little to no bus service.
Regional transport services to share one booking point
Alongside the self-driving pilots, Bertram told AD she wants to bring local shuttle buses (buurtbussen), shareable cars (regiotaxi), and advance-booking buses (boobelbussen) under a single control room, which will serve as a single booking point.
This means locals in rural areas could request a ride through one service, instead of figuring out which bus, taxi, or van goes to their destination. The control room would then send the nearest available vehicle. Bertram has yet to disclose specific details, including how these plans will operate in practice and which regions will be prioritised.
The cabinet has set aside 300 million euros a year for regional accessibility; for now, it is unclear how the money will be divided or when it will be implemented.
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Isabella Jacobsen is an assistant editor intern balancing her time between the IamExpat office and the lecture halls at the University of Amsterdam, where she is pursuing a Master’s in political journalism. Growing up moving between Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Dubai, Cyprus, Denmark, and the Netherlands shaped a lifelong curiosity about how stories are told across different cultures. Before settling in Amsterdam, she earned her bachelor’s in media and communication from Erasmus University Rotterdam, which included an exchange semester studying journalism and broadcasting at National Chengchi University in Taiwan. Driven by a constant desire to learn and take on new challenges, she is always looking for the next angle to explore. Read more