Bus travellers in the Ede-Wageningen area are faced with a new schedule that comes into effect two weeks from now. Hermes (RRReis) is slashing its city and regional services. Some lines are even scheduled to disappear entirely.
The new schedule will come into effect on 11 December and is a downsized version of the current schedule. The bus company says the ‘steep price increase’ makes this inevitable.
Bus lines terminated
Two bus lines are to be terminated. Line 6, from Ede-Wageningen train station to the centre of Ede via Ede-East, is one of these lines. Most of the stops will still remain on the routes of other bus lines. Travellers can use the RRReis shared taxi service for the Sijsselt, Langenberg and Mausoleum stops. This taxi is deployed when ordered.
Line 89, from Veenendaal-De Klomp to and from WUR-campus, will also be terminated. Travellers wanting to travel to the campus from Veenendaal-De Klomp after 11 December will have to take the train to Ede-Wageningen, and the bus to the campus.
C3 to become 303
Bus 303 travels to the campus in Wageningen from Ede-Wageningen. This bus will replace the current bus, C3. During Monday to Friday rush hours (until 10.30 in the mornings and between 14.30 and 19.30 in de afternoon), the bus will depart every 10 minutes as of 11 December. Outside of these hours, the bus leaves every fifteen minutes. Longer busses will be deployed, and shuttles will be added if it is really busy.
According to Gelderland province, responsible for the tendering of bus transportation in Ede and surroundings, the changes will have limited impact on travellers.
Few travellers
According to a spokesperson for the province, slashing the schedule is an inevitable result of ‘increased salary and fuel costs, and the low number of travellers. The number of travellers is now approximately 85 per cent of the pre-covid number. Fewer travellers means fewer revenues.’
Check the RRReis site for all the changes.
This article was previously published in De Gelderlander / Job van Gasselt.