The NS itself also thinks the train is too expensive. Yet they make all train tickets more expensive. So just keep driving your car!
It’s election time, so plans for a better environment and climate are flying around our ears. In between, the Dutch Railways had also let some test balloons take off. For example, ex-minister of D66 Huize and CEO of the NS Wouter Koolmees wanted to introduce a rush hour tax and give a discount during off-peak hours.
We already mentioned this tendentiously that the NS wants to drive everyone into the car, but now they actually admit it themselves. The proposed peak hour charge and discount during off-peak hours will definitely not go ahead. BUT, the trains that transport air during the day (not our words, but Koolmees’s) must continue to run. And so all train tickets become more expensive.
Trains in the Netherlands are too expensive
This is what the NS CEO says an interview with Radio 1 therefore he thinks that the trains in the Netherlands are too expensive. That could have been done differently, he says. According to him, 80 percent of the tickets would have become cheaper during those off-peak hours if he came up with the rush hour tax and discount during off-peak hours. But there is no support for that rush hour tax, so it is my own fault, all tickets are now becoming more expensive.
That’s all nice, but the fact that 80 percent of the tickets become cheaper when no one was on the train anyway is simply a disguised price increase for everyone. Rush hour is rush hour because people have to be somewhere at a certain time. It is difficult for a teacher or nurse to start an hour or two later because he can then travel cheaper outside rush hour…
All in the car
Wouter Koolmees has nothing to do with the fact that those tickets are so expensive, says Wouter Koolmees. The taxpayer pays zero euros for the trains in our country. All costs incurred by the NS must be covered from ticket income.
In addition, personnel costs are rising and inflation is adding to the burden. Actually, Wouter Koolmees’ advice is: everyone in the car, the train is too expensive anyway. Take note of this, a colleague would say.
This article NS: “The train is too expensive” first appeared on Autoblog.nl.
#train #expensive