Qbuzz Fined €131,500 for Too Many Public Transport Cancellations
Transport provider faces penalty as service cancellations continue to disrupt regional transit.
The public transport agency for Groningen and Drenthe has fined transport company Qbuzz 131,500 euros due to frequent service cancellations in recent months.
Qbuzz has struggled throughout 2023 to maintain its schedule, mainly because of a shortage of drivers. The OV-bureau, the transport agency, had previously issued a strong warning in October last year, giving Qbuzz until April 2024 to improve and reduce cancellations to an acceptable level. However, Qbuzz has been unable to meet this standard despite efforts to hire more staff and address service gaps.
In addition to a lack of drivers, Qbuzz sometimes doesn’t have enough buses available to cover the full timetable. This led to continued service disruptions from April through August, for which the fine was imposed.
The OV-bureau has warned Qbuzz that if service disruptions continue, additional fines may follow until the situation improves.