Two left-wing Dutch political parties, GroenLinks (Green Left) and PvdA (Labour Party), are advocating for free public transport for people with a lower income.
Their project, named “Iedereen stapt in” (“everyone steps in”), proposes to allocate €400 million to combat transport poverty. As Het Parool reports, it will be presented to the public on Monday, 20 February.
Transport poverty in the Netherlands
According to the collaborating parties, transport poverty is an issue in the Netherlands that has been growing over the past years.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of passengers using the Openbaar Vervoer (OV) decreased sharply, which put public transport companies under pressure. In turn, bus lines lapsed within cities and bigger regions.
“Menstrual poverty. energy poverty. Transport poverty. Something different every day.
— RTwittNews ★ Агентство 🔻 AAN ★ / Z / ☭ (@aglb66) August 16, 2022
There is poverty in the Netherlands because the costs of daily living are too high for many people and the incomes too low. These are not standalone issues, but are a system issue.” https://t.co/SZ9JtduCKv
But for people who heavily rely on public transport, such as people in wheelchairs, and the visually impaired, there is no other option. These people are often forgotten, says Kauthar Bouchallikht from GroenLinks.
Because of this, the PvdA and GroenLinks believe that public transport “should be a basic right, not an industry that makes money.”
Public vs individual transport
In their proposal, Habtamu de Hoop (PvdA) and Kauthar Bouchallikht (GroenLinks) are also shedding light on the disparity between public and individual transport.
READ MORE | Car Versus Public Transit: Why are Public Transport Costs Rising So Fast?
When gasoline prices skyrocketed in the past year, motorists were compensated with a whopping €1.2 billion.
What about public transport? Yup, it got more expensive. While tickets for tram, metro and bus saw a price increase of 7%, train tickets went up by 4.3%. 📈
How can this be financed?
We’re sure you’ve already guessed it: taxes.
The Central Planning Bureau claims that reversing the price increases the OV has seen over the past years would cost around €400 million.
This is to be covered by increasing taxes, notably income and wealth taxes.
READ MORE | The richest Dutch spend the least of their income on taxes
GroenLinks and PvdA want to experiment with their proposed measure in selected cities and rural areas for a year. If tests are successful, public transport could become free for lower-income households.
What are other countries doing?
While the Netherlands has continually had one of the most expensive public transport systems in the EU, other countries have made large moves to make the OV more accessible.
De Hoop and Bouchallikht’s plan is partly inspired by Germany’s experiments with cheap public transport last summer — when a monthly ticket was offered to travellers for only €9.
i paid 9 euros to used all forms of regional public transport in germany for the entire month, meanwhile in the netherlands i had to pay 8 euros just to go from my city to amsterdam which is a 40 minute trip, literally what the fuck why is public transport so expensive here
— Max🛸 (@wtchwhthppnsmax) June 11, 2022
In Luxembourg, public transport has been free for everyone since 2020. ‘It costs money, but that must be worth it to society if everyone participates,’ Bouchallikht told Het Parool.
What do you think about the plan to make public transport gratis for people with a low income? Tell us in the comments!