Netherlands has 1,100 fewer bus stops than six years ago

Over the past six years, over 1,100 bus stops have disappeared in the Netherlands, a decrease of nearly 3 percent. There are fewer stops now than in 2020, particularly in the northern provinces and in rural areas, according to an ANP analysis of bus stop data from the Partnership of Decentralized Public Transport Authorities (DOVA).

At the end of September, the Netherlands had 39,525 active bus stops, compared to 40,704 in 2020. About half of Dutch municipalities had fewer bus stops than they did six years earlier.

The decline was most pronounced in Drenthe and Groningen. Both provinces have lost over 13 percent of their bus stop since 2020. Flevoland, Overijssel, and Limburg are the only provinces where the number of stops increased.

There are also significant differences between municipalities. West Maas en Waal in Gelderland lost more than half of its bus stops, while the small Limburg municipality of Mook en Middelaar saw the number of its bus stops more than double. Helmond and Purmerend also saw substantial increases.

According to Paul van de Coevering, a professor of mobility and urban development at Breda University of Applied Sciences (BUas), the declining number of bus stops is a trend that has been underway for some time. He notes that public transport has faced budget cuts since the 2000s, and bus routes have been redesigned for greater efficiency.

"Routes are increasingly being straightened out. Instead of driving through a small village, the bus now runs along the edge of it." This trend makes public transport less inclusive; people have to walk further and become more dependent on bicycles or cars.