Transport company Trevvel has withdrawn its summary proceedings against the municipality of Rotterdam.
The company, which is responsible for target group transport in the city, filed a lawsuit in November lawsuit because it could not agree with the new tender conditions. According to Trevvel, the emphasis in the award was too much on the lowest price and not on quality, while there had been complaints about the service for years.
The tender for target group transport in Rotterdam has been under scrutiny for some time. In addition to Trevvel, the Mobility Procurement Institute (AIM) also criticized the way in which the municipality wanted to organize the new tender. AIM stated that Rotterdam mainly focused on cost savings and did not pay sufficient attention to the quality of the transport services. "This puts further pressure on the operation, and the quality as well," the institute warned earlier.
Trevvel currently provides transport for the elderly and vulnerable children, but feared that the new tendering rules would further deteriorate the service. In recent years, complaints from passengers and their families have been pouring in. Elderly people sometimes had to wait hours for a taxi, while children with disabilities were sometimes picked up too late or not at all. According to Trevvel, the new requirements of the municipality would only worsen the situation. The company claimed that Rotterdam wanted to make a 'considerable cutback' with the new tender, which would seriously jeopardize the quality of the service.
However, just before the case was to come before the court, the municipality decided to adjust the tender conditions. modifications were sufficient reason for Trevvel to withdraw the summary proceedings. “We appreciate that the municipality has acknowledged some of our objections,” says director Mirl de Bruin. According to the carrier, there is now a view of a package 'that makes it possible to shape transport in a new way'.
Despite this positive turn of events, uncertainty remains about the future of target group transport in Rotterdam. According to the AD, Alderman Ronald Buijt stated that he did not want to respond while the tender is ongoing. In the meantime, the question remains whether the adjustments made by the municipality are sufficient to really solve the problems in Rotterdam transport. The elderly and parents of vulnerable children will only be reassured when they actually notice an improvement in daily practice.
