Recently, Dennis Huisman, Professor of Public Transport Optimisation at Erasmus School of Economics, was asked for his expertise on developments in regional public transport. Regional public transport is still struggling with many problems.
Currently, the Netherlands is in a transition phase, but still has some obstacles. For instance, passenger preferences have changed, fewer staff are available for regional public transport and the electricity network still has many shortcomings. Still, the future looks bright, Huisman argues; ‘and there is still efficiency to be gained with smarter planning’.
One of the biggest challenges in regional transport, is the shortage of staff. The profession of bus driver is not attractive enough, and self-driving buses are far from ready for use. In addition, a rising diesel price is driving up costs, and eventually an announced price increase for public transport. Fortunately, the government has pledged a capital injection of 300 million euros, allowing prices to remain the same for the time being. 'This solves the financial component for the time being,' the Professor said.
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You can read the full article from Insights, here.