The impact of COVID-19 measures on public transport

The public transport sector has been and continues to be hard hit by the corona pandemic. To manage the longer-lasting effects of COVID and adjust the supply of public transportation to meet demand, a transition is necessary. A transition program should restore the sector to financial health. With the monitor Transition Public Transport (OV), which we carry out on behalf of the Ministry of IenW, we monitor the impact of COVID-19 on OV and the implemented transition measures.

Transition necessary

The corona pandemic has had a huge impact on our economic and social activities, and thus on our travel behavior. Not only have we started to travel less by working from home, but also at different times and in a different way: more individual transportation at the expense of public transportation. Offering a full schedule while passenger numbers are significantly lower results in significant losses for the carriers. To compensate for these losses, the Public Transport Availability Payment (BVOV) scheme was introduced by the state. Last summer, it was agreed that the BVOV will be extended until September 2022. To ensure that the sector can manage the longer lasting effects of COVID-19 and stand on its own feet again, a transition is necessary. The goal is to ensure the availability and future-proofing of public transport in the Netherlands.

Monitoring

To facilitate this transition, concessionaires and providers have taken measures. These measures focus on the level of facilities, spreading the demand for public transport and the deployment of equipment, making public transport attractive, necessary adjustments to the concessions and on the working climate and productivity.

Want to know more about the monitoring? View the full report (pdf) in Dutch. For more information, contact Ricardo Poppeliers.