Why are Dutch buses and trams all honking their horns on June 10?
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By Simone Jacobs
At 8.45am on Tuesday, June 10, bus and tram drivers in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague are set to honk their horns for 20 seconds to protest public transport budget cuts. Transport companies hope this will act as a “wake-up call” for the Dutch government.
Public transport carriers in major Dutch cities protest budget cuts
In a joint statement, GVB, HTM, RET and EBS, together with the Amsterdam Transport Region (VRA) and Rotterdam The Hague Metropolitan Region (MRDH), are urging the government to scrap the plans to cut 335 million euros from the budget for public transport in the Netherlands.
To provide a “wake-up call” to politicians, buses and trams in central locations in the three major Dutch cities will honk for 20 seconds during the morning rush hour on Tuesday. “If we do not wake up now, these cuts will be quietly implemented. That would be disastrous for the Netherlands,” said VRA chairman Melanie van der Horst. “Politicians now have an excellent opportunity to undo this mistake in the spring memorandum.”
This is the second time this year that public transport carriers have protested the government’s plans. In April, public transport came to a 110-second standstill to protest the plans to cut 110 million euros in subsidies.
Ticket price hikes due to Dutch public transport budget cuts
The government has proposed public transport cuts of 335 million euros. According to the public transport carriers, this would have far-reaching consequences for the country.
Not only would the Netherlands face the risk of 20 percent of public transport disappearing and further ticket price hikes, but accessibility and housing construction will also be affected. "Without good public transport, people become isolated. It then becomes more difficult to reach work, education and healthcare. Or to visit friends and family," said Van der Horst.
"If all of that disappears, people are limited in their freedom of movement, it increases loneliness and increases transport poverty. Public transport becomes unreliable and unaffordable for some. These cutbacks are therefore a very bad idea," concluded Van der Horst.
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Editor for the Netherlands at IamExpat Media. Simone studied Genetics and Zoology at the University of Pretoria in South Africa before moving to the Netherlands, where she has been working as a writer and editor since 2022. One thing she loves more than creating content is consuming it, mainly by reading books by the dozen. Other than being a book dragon, she is also a nature lover and enjoys hiking and animal training. Read more