The accessibility of the Brainport region has been a headache for municipalities, the province and the companies in the region for years. In order to improve this, bus transport is now being considered as a solution.
The ring around Eindhoven, a light rail, and the Brainport line: there is no lack of great ideas to improve the accessibility of the region. To date, the grand plans have not yet materialised. Bus transport is now being tested for better accessibility. This is the result of a collaboration between regional and local authorities, as well as the Brainport companies.
Collaboration initiative
ASML, Philips, Maxima MC, TU/e, DAF Trucks, VDL, Philips, and Brainport Development, the province of Noord-Brabant, the national government, and the municipalities of Veldhoven, Eindhoven with the municipality of Helmond signed a letter of intent regarding the roll-out of a pilot. The Brainport Accessible organisation (Brainport Bereikbaar) was created to steer everything in the right direction.
COVID-19
The corona crisis prevented a dynamic start being made with the bus transport trials, called the ‘Business Lines’. The first test drives started in 2021, but there were simply too few employees who actually went to the office.
Better connectivity
Three lines were opened leading to the De Run business park where ASML is located. The buses departed from Den Bosch, Weert and Uden/Veghel. An express bus connection between Best and De Run has now been established. There is also a bus to De Run from Son.
Emergency lane
These services are still private at the moment but should be made public in the future. Until then, passengers using the bus service will have the opportunity to provide feedback. For example, travellers indicated that they would like to be able to work on the bus. It would also be appreciated if traffic jams could be avoided by using the hard shoulder.
Business line project
It is not yet known how big the Business Lines project will be, and how far it will be rolled out in the region. The Brainport Accessible organisation is convinced that it could be a game-changer. “The potential is huge. And with the expected growth figures in the region, that potential will only increase. We get hopelessly stuck if we stay in the car. Alternatives to traffic jams are working from home, cycling and collective forms of transport such as the Business Lines.”
Large-scale trials
The next step is to expand the trials. Until now, only ASML employees have used the services. “During the next large-scale pilot phase, we will also open up this transport concept to other employers and jointly work out the best way to encourage travellers to actually switch from the car to a Business Line,” says the Brainport Accessible organisation.
Source: Studio040
Translated by: Shanthi Ramani
