From 13 December 2026, EBS will take over bus transport in Zeeland. The Province of Zeeland has included a timetable in the Program of Requirements that EBS will operate. In recent months, EBS and the Province have visited all Zeeland municipalities together to investigate where the timetable could be improved. The tender allowed room for this. Based on these discussions, EBS made a plan with improvements. Gedeputeerde Staten approved this plan today.
21 improvements
A total of 21 improvements will be implemented in the timetable from 2027. Some of the important improvements are:
- The bus line Ghent – Terneuzen will be operated as an hourly service between Terneuzen bus station and Ghent Dampoort, with stops at new hubs near Axelse Vlakte and Westdorpe.
- Passengers can continue to count on two trips per hour on line Zierikzee – Rotterdam (395). Line 395 will continue to run twice an hour during the morning and afternoon rush hours, as passengers are already used to. This timetable will be executed as requested in the tender. Earlier plans to reduce trips will therefore not be implemented.
- Bus line 31 on Noord-Beveland will still maintain the connection to the bus connection with the N57. In the tender, we requested the Kamperland-Goes bus connection without a connection to the N57. It was agreed with the municipality that, if the bidder provides room for this, this connection can still be realized. With this additional work option, we ensure a connection to the N57, where passengers can transfer to bus 133 (Middelburg-Oude Tonge). For passengers from Noord-Beveland, travel options are thus available both east and west.
- Bus lines on Tholen will be improved. The routes of the school lines will be simplified. During the morning and afternoon rush hours, extra buses will run between Sint Annaland and Sint Philipsland and Bergen op Zoom and Oude Tonge.
- The school lines 646 and 647 between Walcheren, Goes and Krabbendijke will continue to run for the time being. This will remain so until the ERTMS tests are completed in 2029 and trains can run reliably again. ERTMS is a new digital system that ensures trains run safely and on time.
- On Walcheren, fast bus connections were planned between Domburg-Middelburg and Westkapelle-Middelburg. In practice, travel times with train connections proved unfeasible. Therefore, the current routes of lines 52 and 53 will largely remain. We are looking for good routes through and along the villages with a view to livability.
Deputy Harry van der Maas emphasizes the importance of the improvements: “With these improvements, we take an important step towards future-proof and reliable public transport in Zeeland. We have listened carefully to the wishes of municipalities and passengers. Whether it concerns maintaining two trips per hour on line 395, better connections on Noord-Beveland or extra efforts for schoolchildren on Tholen and Walcheren: we ensure that residents can continue to count on good bus connections. I am pleased that together with EBS we can implement these improvements and continue to invest in a strong and flexible mobility network for all of Zeeland.”
Room for further development
The bus line network is not fixed for twelve years. The Mobility Center closely monitors how many people use each line. Based on this, the Mobility Center looks at whether adjustments are needed. Developments on the railway, ferry and Flex are taken into account.