The building activities around the train station are causing regular delays for buses to Zernike, to the annoyance of staff and students.
They complain of buses arriving too late or not at all, overcrowding, and drivers speeding through the city with little regard for pedestrians or cyclists.
‘I even missed an exam because the bus didn’t come’, says business student Maxim Mulder.
‘It’s difficult’, says Hanze student Jesse Wienke. ‘Especially when you have to change buses a lot.’
Missed appointments
Suzan Scheffer, a lecturer at the AI department, estimates she has bus trouble around 35 to 40 percent of the time. ‘Timing is really critical for me. If the bus is five minutes early or late, it creates a problem for the whole schedule I planned for the day.’
She’s started planning her entire day assuming the bus will be late or overcrowded. ‘I have missed some important appointments, so now I always take the bus half an hour early’, she says. ‘I got used to it.’
Jesse, too, takes an earlier bus now. ‘Some teachers are strict’, he explains. ‘Waking up that early isn’t great though.’ When it’s an important class, or he has a presentation, he tends to rely on his parents for a ride.
Adjusted timetable
Qbuzz spokesperson Arjan van Dijk understands that Zernike students and staff are unhappy about the delays and disruptions. ‘We feel really bad for our travellers when a ride is cancelled due to circumstances or does not arrive on time. Waiting for the next bus is no fun for anyone.’
Because of the construction around the train station, he explains, buses have to drive on the same roads as the trucks that work there. ‘We have adjusted our timetable for this and there are lines from Europapark and other destinations, for example, that go to Zernike.’
On some lines, Qbuzz has introduced more driving time, he says. However, that also means that buses can sometimes arrive earlier. ‘But our commitment is improving service.’