We’ve all experienced the frustration of waiting for a bus that will never come. Now, imagine how you would feel if your city asked you to hitchhike instead. The municipality of Zeewolde has done just that.
As part of a creative ‘solution’, the municipality has introduced “hitchhiking stops” to encourage the method as an alternative to taking the bus, the NOS reports.
Many places in the Netherlands have overcrowded buses and issues with consistency due to a lack of staff, especially during rush hours — and Zeewolde is no exception.
Bus too full to get to school? Just hitchhike!
Instead of, we don’t know, campaigning for more bus routes, the municipality has built a special hitchhiking stop in Polderwijk, accompanied by a matching sign to encourage residents (including schoolchildren) to hitchhike. 👍🏼
Sounds dangerous? Don’t worry, the municipality has also placed a QR code under the stop with safety information.
Some tips include not getting in if there are multiple people in the car, and sharing your location. However, ensuring that all hitchhikers take the time to read it is a whole other issue.
What do residents think?
Parents have especially mixed feelings about this new addition.
One mother tells Omroep Flevoland that “she does see that the buses are very full in the morning. It’s really a stampede.” However, she questions if she would let her own child hitchhike with a stranger.
READ MORE | It’s official: sitting in your car during rush hour gets you to work faster than Dutch public transport
According to the NOS, Lucas Kramer, a member of the GroenLinks party in Provincial States is glad that the municipality is addressing the problem but finds the solution risky for minors.
”We don’t know who the driver of the car is”, he points out. Instead, he recommends that municipalities should focus on improving public transport.
But perhaps a solution was in front of us all along…
In true Dutch culture, a mother advises children to just cycle more! We should’ve seen this one coming. 🚲
Would you hitchhike? Leave your opinions in the comments below!
Such an interesting consept! Nostalgia to the times when a community were friendlier towards one another and used to help eachother!