Arriva Nederland wins second major contract

Arriva Nederland has won its second major bus contract in a matter of weeks.

The operator has secured a €750m contract to operate bus services in the country’s South Holland province.

The eight year concession, which has a two-year extension option, begins in December 2012 and adds to Arriva Nederland’s strong presence in the province where it already operates bus, rail and waterbus services within the Drechsteden, Alblasserwaard, Vijfheerenlanden and the Hoeksche Waard regions.

As part of the contract Arriva Nederland will operate 230 new low-emission buses – each equipped with latest wi-fi technology. Arriva also plans to revamp timetables which will integrate the new bus services with their existing multi-modal networks in the South Holland regions.

Arriva will also open three new travel shops in Gouda, Alphen ann de Rijn and Leiden to help improve customer service and ticketing information for passengers.

Anne Hettinga, managing director at Arriva Nederland, said: “To win two major contracts in the space of a few weeks is excellent news for the business and our employees.

“This latest contract win gives us the perfect opportunity to integrate our existing services in South Holland and offer the most comprehensive service for our customers.

“Passengers in the province want a top quality, integrated public transport system so we welcome the opportunity to deliver the services and network they deserve. I am convinced our investment will attract more people to public transport in the years ahead.”

Arriva Nederland provides bus and rail services in the Dutch provinces of Flevoland, Friesland, Gelderland, Groningen, North Brabant and South Holland. Arriva also operates Waterbus services in South Holland in partnership with Koninklijke Doeksen.

The tender award is subject to a six-week appeal period dating from 18 April.

On 2 March Arriva Nederland won a €450m contract to operate buses in north and south West Friesland and will continue to operate services on the island of Schiermonnikoog. The eight-year contract, which has a two-year extension option, also begins in December 2012.