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Egged bus (archives)
Amsterdam, Holland
Photo: AFP
Egged to operate buses in Amsterdam
Israeli transit bus company wins eight-year bid through its European subsidiary. Deal said to be worth €500 million
Israeli transit bus Egged has won a major bid for the operation of public transportation in Amsterdam, Holland, through its Egged Europe subsidiary.
An official announcement on the agreement was made in a press conference in the Dutch capital in the presence of the chairman of the local transportation authority, Amsterdam's deputy mayor and Egged Chairman Gideon Mizrahi.
The eight-year bid, which includes a two-year optional extension, is said to be worth some €500 million (about $700 million).
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Starting in December, Egged will operate suburban bus lines connecting the cities of Purmerend, Hoorn, Volendam, Eda and Wormerveer to central Amsterdam. The metropolitan line system will include some 250 new buses.
Egged Europe competed against three of Europe's leading transportation companies – Connection, a subsidiary of the Veolia concern, French company Keolis, and Arriva, the current operator.
"This win is a breakthrough for us, as this is our first chance to provide public transportation services in a Western European country," said the Egged chairman.
"We are prepared to offer the customer a very high quality of service, which will include launching modern buses and combining advanced technologies to improve the travel experience, while meeting advance environmental standards of quality."
Egged Europe operates some 1,400 buses in Poland, including exclusive franchises in Warsaw, Krakow and Bydgoszcz.
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