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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 percent) 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 will be no less than 5.5 percent more expensive in 2023. ‘Prices will also rise in 2025, by 8.7 percent, excluding inflation figures.’

• Trains are less punctual (89 percent in 2024, compared to 95 percent 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 and falling passenger numbers.

  • 15 per cent fewer passengers in 2023 than in 2019.

  • The cost of a bus ticket for city and regional transport has also risen by 7 per cent 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.

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 drivers to meet this growing demand is actually declining.

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 cent per year since 2015. ‘If this trend continues, special-needs transport will be 75 per cent 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.”

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 per cent of Dutch people use shared cars and 10 per cent 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,’ according to VNG.

Regional approach

A regional control centre plays a central role in the implementation of the mobility system by matching current supply and demand as closely as possible.’ The VNG expects that scaling up to the regional level will lead to greater efficiency and a stronger negotiating position vis-à-vis transport providers.

In the proposed system, municipalities will issue car-sharing permits, and are responsible for ensuring that the infrastructure contributes to the accessibility of transport systems, such as bus stops, traffic lights, parking spaces and charging points for (shared) cars and bicycles. There must be sufficient physical connections to the public mobility system.

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