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Connexxion wins Amstelland-Meerlanden public transport tender

2016.19.12
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Connexxion will be responsible for bus transport in the Amstelland-Meerlanden region. This is the result of the procurement procedure for the Amstelland-Meerlanden public transport franchise for 2018 that was carried out by the Amsterdam Urban Region. Connexxion’s offer stands to further improve the quality of public transport. Holder of the Traffic portfolio Pieter Litjens signed the agreement today on behalf of the Urban Region’s executive board. The term of the franchise is ten years, ending on 12 December 2027, with a possible renewal for up to five years. It is one of the largest contracted franchises in the Netherlands.

The Urban Region is positively surprised by the time and energy put into the tenders and particularly by the tender content. Connexxion’s offer proved to be the best, totalling a very high assessment score. Connexxion’s offer will significantly improve public transport in Amstelland-Meerlanden and render it future-proof’, said Pieter Litjens.

The Amstelland-Meerlanden franchise

A franchise grants a transport company the exclusive right to operate public transport within a certain area. The Amstelland-Meerlanden franchise area comprises the municipalities of Aalsmeer, Amstelveen, Haarlemmermeer, Ouder-Amstel (except for the community of Duivendrecht) and Uithoorn, plus a number of connections to Amsterdam, Haarlem and the municipality of Ronde Venen. The area covers over 300 square kilometres and has a population of over 300,000. The area also houses a key driver of the Dutch economy: Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. Another important pillar is the Aalsmeer flower auction. Every year more than 30 million passengers travel by bus in this region. The Urban Region contributes € 40.5 million to this franchise on an annual basis.

Highest score

The Urban Region’s objective was to contract a public transport company that customises its offering to the current and future travel needs of residents and tourists in the region, that offers high-quality products and that seeks to achieve zero-emission bus transport. The winning tender more than meets these objectives.

The Urban Region assessed the tender based on a number of criteria, including the supply of public transport, the extent to which growth in passenger numbers is allowed for, product quality, reliability and sustainability. Of the four public transport companies vying for the franchise, Connexxion had the highest score for all criteria and, as such, put in the best tender. The result is an attractive and comfortable supply of public transport: quick, frequent, accessible and recognisable. Services are run using clean and comfortable buses.

24/7 public transport

Connexxion offers a public transport network in keeping with the airport as economic driver and the 24-hour economy. R-network services will be considerably extended in terms of number of routes, frequency and seating capacity of the vehicles. R-network bus services will operate at a high frequency between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. The network of night-time routes will also be significantly extended, making the R-network more of a 24-hour service.

More travel options, also for smaller communities

There will be more public transport stops for residents and more passengers will be able to use quicker and more frequent bus links, with better onward connections and shorter waiting times. In small communities with few passengers, Connexxion will offer transport on demand, giving travellers much more options than is currently the case. Connexxion optimally matched its tender to the different types of passengers and their travel needs. In addition to attention to commuters, the tender also incorporated what are known as vulnerable passenger categories.

Shared cars and bicycles as supplementary mobility services

Connexxion’s offer is not limited to just transport by bus. Connexxion also offers supplementary mobility services, such as shared cars and bicycles, to facilitate origin-to-destination travel. These services are easy to book and pay for. Measures aimed at making stays at public transport hubs more comfortable, improving transfers, and providing transparent travel information all contribute to a pleasant journey experience throughout the transport chain.

Electrical zero-emission buses

Connexxion will start using environmentally friendly electrical buses on a large scale. These ‘zero-emission’-buses will be prominent in the area around Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and on a number of key R-network routes to Amsterdam city centre. The fleet of electrical buses will be further extended over the next few years, and from 2021 almost 90 percent of the fleet will consist of electrical buses.

Follow-up procedure

Over the next period, Connexxion will start implementation of the franchise. The changes in the public transport services will be explained to the municipalities and the ReizigersAdviesRaad (passengers’ advisory council) in a number of meetings that will be organised together with the Urban Region. The final transport plan for 2018 is expected to be adopted after the summer of 2017.

About Transdev

A subsidiary of Caisse des Dépôts and Veolia, Transdev is a world leader in mobility. Transdev is a consultant for regional authorities and supports them in everything from the pre-project phase to project management assistance to daily operation of public transport networks. With 83,000 employees in 19 countries, the group operates 43,000 vehicles and 22 tramway networks. In 2015, Transdev had a turnover of 6.6 billion euros.

www.transdev.com