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The current public transport, target group transport and shared mobility systems are not sustainable due to rising costs, declining passenger numbers, staff shortages, and impoverished timetables. This puts pressure on the accessibility of urban amenities. To reverse this trend, passenger transport systems need to be better integrated.

Public mobility: a number of transport modes that until now have been separate from each other: public transport, target group transport, shared mobility and flex transport. Through a smart combination of modalities, public mobility can contribute to good accessibility of urban amenities at constant costs.

Shifting responsibilities

The Association of Dutch Municipalities (VNG) suggests that the transition to public mobility should be accompanied by a shift in responsibilities. Public mobility requires a clear division of roles between governments and market parties, and a reassessment of the existing system of concessions and funding. Municipalities call on the government to take a directive role in organising public mobility. As only together - state, province, municipalities, and market parties - can we ensure a system in which everyone, everywhere, always has access to suitable mobility.

Different authorities are responsible for different modes of transport. For example, responsibility for public transport lies with the provinces, while responsibility for target group transport lies with the municipalities. Public mobility must therefore be organised at regional level with national support from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management (IenW), the Interprovincial Consultation (IPO), the Association of Dutch Municipalities (VNG) and the Dutch Association for Target Group Transport (VDVN).

Unattractive public transport

The current transport offering is not adequate for everyone, according to the umbrella organisation. For example, more than a quarter of Dutch people (27%) do not own a car, according to figures from the Knowledge Institute for Mobility (KiM). This means that this group is dependent on other types of transport. ‘However, public transport is becoming increasingly unattractive,’ writes VNG.

Public transport

• A decline in services due to rising costs, declining demand, staff shortages and budget cuts.

• Becoming increasingly expensive. For example, individual train journeys were 5.5% more expensive in 2023. ‘Prices will also rise in 2025, by 8.7%, excluding inflation figures.’

• Trains are less punctual (89% in 2024, compared to 95% in 2022)

• Dutch Railway (NS) is increasingly relying on subsidies from the government (EUR 1.2 billion in 2020) to compensate for losses.

• Bus transport is also struggling with rising costs, declining passenger numbers and staff shortages.

  • 15% fewer passengers in 2023 than in 2019.

  • The cost of a bus ticket for city and regional transport has also risen by 7% in the past year, and there have been cuts to services in rural areas.

  • Approximately 1,500 fewer bus stops in 2023 than in 2018.

  • Buses run less frequently on existing routes.

If this trend continues, transport for specific target groups will be 75% more expensive in 2030 than in 2015.

Pressure on target group transport

All the skirmishes surrounding public transport are also affecting target group transport. ‘Partly due to the deterioration of public transport, there is a growing demand for target group transport,’ writes VNG. The KiM estimates that in 2030, approximately 1.2 million people will need to rely on target group transport. In 2015, target group transport had 800,000 users. In addition, there is also the ageing population, while the number of chauffeurs to meet this growing demand is actually declining.

This leads to an inefficient system with high costs for municipalities.

Rising passenger numbers have consequences for costs, which are increasing. For example, the costs of target group transport for municipalities have risen by around 5% per year since 2015. ‘If this trend continues, special-needs transport will be 75% more expensive in 2030 than in 2015,’ warns VNG. “This will put pressure on the accessibility of urban amenities for citizens or will do so in the (near) future.”

This will put pressure on the accessibility of facilities for citizens or will do so in the (near) future.

Shared mobility is not an alternative

There is also a world to be won in terms of shared mobility. Although shared mobility has gained ground in recent years, particularly in urban areas, KiM concludes that this type of transport is not an alternative to car ownership, but rather to buses, trains or trams.

For example, only 2 to 6% of Dutch people use shared cars and 10% use shared bicycles. There are an average of 44 shared cars per 100,000 inhabitants. However, there are major differences between urban and rural areas. In urban areas, there are an average of 133 shared cars per 100,000 inhabitants, compared to only 2.5 in rural areas. As a result, the share of shared mobility in the accessibility of urban amenities is currently low.

Inefficient system

It is therefore high time for a system in which different modes of transport do not conflict with each other but reinforce each other, according to VNG.

"Despite the fact that they are highly dependent on each other, the focus is currently only on the individual components and not on the entire system. This leads to an inefficient system with high costs for municipalities. In addition, the division of responsibilities leads to problems being passed on, such as the clustering of facilities being passed on to the mobility system and the deterioration of public transport being passed on to target group transport."

Regional tendering

In order to manage the public mobility system as effectively as possible, it makes sense for target group transport to be procured regionally, whereby municipalities will issue car-sharing permits. Municipalities will also be responsible for ensuring that the infrastructure contributes to the accessibility of transport systems, such as bus stops, parking spaces and charging points for (shared) cars and bicycles.

Financial flows

Municipalities remain responsible for local public roads, bus lanes, traffic lights, bus stops and bus stations. ‘It is important that municipalities ensure that different groups can use a public mobility system,’ says the umbrella organisation.

This requires sufficient physical connections to the public mobility system, and investment. In addition, there are shortfalls in the regular management and maintenance of municipal infrastructure due to increasing pressure on municipal finances. ‘Ensuring this investment need in the future is a point of attention, but it is not an obstacle to starting the transition to public mobility,’ according to VNG.

Spatial planning

Although the plans sound good, the proposed system is not a panacea. ‘Due to growing scarcity of money and space, we see that not everything is possible anymore,’ writes VNG.

That is why spatial planning plays an important role in the proposed plan. ’First and foremost, we must focus on building homes in areas where crucial urban amenities and infrastructure already exist. If we ensure that a number of basic urban amenities are built close to where people live, we will ensure that they do not have to travel far to reach them. If this is not feasible, we must ensure that our residents have access to a suitable form of mobility, so that they are always guaranteed access to these urban amenities.’

Source: VNG