The planned conversion of Transvision BV into a fully-fledged joint venture by Cetorhinus Maximus BV (CM) and the Rotterdam Mobility Center RMC BV (RMC) will not go ahead for the time being.
At the end of last month, both companies announced to the Netherlands Authority for Consumers & Markets (ACM) that they wanted to withdraw their previous notification to intensify the existing collaboration. This decision marks a remarkable turn of events, after the intention for a more in-depth collaboration was announced with great conviction in August 2024. The news about the withdrawal reached our editors following a report by the digital Magazine Personenvervoer.
The collaboration between CM and RMC is not new. Both parties have been connected for some time through their joint involvement in Transvision BV, a company that specializes in organizing mobility services for various target groups. The August announcement seemed at that time a logical step to further formalize and deepen the collaboration. Nevertheless, the two companies ultimately opted for a different course, although it is not entirely clear why the merger plans have now been withdrawn.
cooperation
Transvision BV has been a well-known player in the mobility sector for many years. The company is involved in the coordination and organisation of various forms of target group transport, including patient transport, WMO transport and contractual taxi transport. The combination of the expertise of CM and RMC within this company has proven successful up to now. For example, CM, through its subsidiary Zorgvervoercentrale Nederland BV (ZCN), offers national mobility services under the name BIOS Group. The BIOS Group is an important player in the transport sector and provides transport for people with disabilities, patient transport and business transport for government institutions and companies.
RMC, which operates as a transport director, has a strong focus on target group transport and works together with the municipality of Rotterdam, among others. It offers services such as student transport, WSW transport and WMO transport. In addition, the company also arranges staff transport and event transport. Over the years, RMC has profiled itself as a specialist provider within the Dutch transport market, with a wide range of services that extend beyond traditional taxi transport. RMC also offers call center services and driver services, mainly for other companies within the sector.
On August 5, 2024, CM and RMC officially announced that they cooperation within Transvision by transforming it into a fully-fledged joint venture. The plans were presented as a strategic move to further strengthen their position in the rapidly changing mobility market. This move seemed in line with the broader trend in the transport sector where consolidation and economies of scale are increasingly important factors to increase efficiency and stimulate innovation.
The merger plans were also seen at the time as a necessary development to remain competitive in a market in which both technological innovation and regulations force companies to operate increasingly efficiently and more customer-oriented. The idea behind the merger was to combine the strengths of both companies and thus be able to respond better to the growing demand for integrated mobility solutions.
withdrawal of the notification
The withdrawal of the merger plans therefore comes as a surprise, especially given the previous expectations and ambitions of both companies. For the time being, CM and RMC have not provided any further details about the reason for the withdrawal, but the notification to the ACM implies that the companies have temporarily parked the plans for a full joint venture. The exact considerations, however, remain unclear. Market developments, financial considerations or changing strategic insights may play a role in this decision.
Despite the withdrawal of the merger, Transvision BV will continue to operate as before for the time being, with both companies at the helm. The collaboration between CM and RMC within Transvision has proven successful in the past and there is no indication that it will now be terminated. It is expected that both parties may make another attempt to deepen their collaboration in the future, but for now the plans remain limited to the current setup.