EBS won a new tender in the Netherlands: the PTO will be in charge of transport services in the Zaanstreek-Waterland concession from December 2023. EBS won the concession against the other contender Transdev (the group’s brand Connexxion has been so far operating the concession). The same PTO has been recently awarded the public transport concession IJssel-Vecht.

EBS wins Zaanstreek-Waterland

The announcement came from the Amsterdam Transport Region. EBS is new to the Zaanstreek region, but was already operating in Waterland. The two concessions are going to be merged starting with December 2023, at the end of an emergency concession granted due to Covid.

EBS is the Dutch subsidiary of Israel-based Egged. It will operate the buses for a period of 15 years. In transport tenders in the Netherlands, the winner is the one who offers the best service: the company is expected to reduce travel times and operate night lines.

‘Zaanstreek-Waterland 2024’, as the new concession is formally called, will run from 10 December 2023 to December 2033 and can be extended by five years. The concession area includes Edam-Volendam, Landsmeer, Oostzaan, Purmerend, Waterland, Wormerland and Zaanstad. More than 50 thousand passengers board the buses in this region every day.

Highlights

Driver shortage pushes bus depots toward automation

Europe’s public transport operators are entering a period where staffing pressure and fleet electrification meet in the same place: the bus depot. Around 105,000 bus and coach driver positions remain unfilled across Europe (IRU figures cited in sector analyses), and a meaningful slice of working tim...

Related articles

Menarini unveils Flash and Airon new electric bus models in Milan

Menarini presented its Flash and Airon new electric bus models at Next Mobility Exhibition, displaying the 8-meter and 12-meter versions following the announcement of major product updates at the Milan trade fair. The company is also relaunching its ambition to expand on international markets. The I...