Summary annual report 2008 

A good year for GVB

GVB made major progress in 2008, especially where the transport performance and financial results were concerned. For the first time in this concession period the overall transport performance led to a bonus of € 1 million (for the 1st half of 2008) from Stadsregio Amsterdam, the authority responsible for the provision of public transport in Amsterdam. In the year under review there was a marked improvement in both the transport and financial performance with passenger volume increasing by 1.5% and the operating result rising from € 10.8 million to € 14.6 million. After deducting the Functiegericht Levensfasebewust Personeelsbeleid ( Function-oriented Age Aware Personnel Policy) provision and the write-down of the Trans Link Systems (TLS) participation the net result amounted to minus € 7.8 million.

Early retirement
In mid 2008 a new Conditions of Employment (CAO) was agreed which includes a good solution to the scrapping of the FLO (Functioneel Leeftijds Ontslag - Functional Age Retirement) regulation. In consultation with the Trade Unions an appropriate replacement regulation has been introduced - the Functiegericht Levensfasebewust Personeelsbeleid (FLP) (Function-oriented Age Aware Personnel Policy), which means in-vehicle staff can still retire earlier. The necessary provision has been set-up.

OV-chipkaart (public transport smart card)
At the end of 2008 the metro system, busses and trams were all ready for the OV-chipkaart. So bus and tram passengers and staff can be given any assistance they may need, so-called ‘customer-guides’ have been deployed. The zone tariff has now also been replaced by the kilometre tariff. From a nationwide point of view there was some delay in implementation. As a result GVB also incurred additional costs. In 2009 usage is expected to increase considerably, which will mean more income to offset the incurred costs. The same will apply for TLS (Trans Link Systems) in which GVB has a 12.5% participating interest. In 2008 write-downs on this participation were necessary.

Punctuality
On balance the outcomes for punctuality, cancellations and passenger satisfaction led to a bonus of € 1 million for the first half of 2008. Compared with the previous year, tram and bus punctuality improved but metro punctuality worsened, mainly due to far-reaching work during the summer. The work on the metro was also the main cause of the increase in cancellations compared with 2007. The derailment in the spring struck a discordant note from which useful lessons were learned. As a result the settlement of the derailing in the autumn proceeded smoothly.

Social safety
Passenger and employee safety improved substantially and once again the number of reported incidents fell. In 2008 there was over 27% fewer incidents than in the previous year. Virtually every type of incident showed a decrease with the greatest reduction being in Metro incidents - 55% less. Better utilisation of both the employees and the rolling stock meant that, in total, 12.7% more passengers were checked during the year under review.

Customer friendliness
Once again we worked hard to improve customer friendliness. The summer-service period was reduced for the first time. This meant that the normal, far more intensive, service was provided for nine weeks longer than in previous years. To assist visitors from outside of Amsterdam, throughout the summer GVB office staff were ‘on duty’ at Amsterdam Central Station several days a week to offer directions and travel advice when necessary. To improve the information facilities a customer panel has been set-up and will constantly test new forms of electronic information provision. Passengers can now receive information about planned (service) disruptions via sms.

Rolling stock
GVB’s tram fleet is up to date. During 2009 the last of the "boxes of bricks" (high floor trams) will be taken out of service. The bus fleet is satisfactory and the rejuvenation that was started in 2008 will be continued. The oldest metro trains, the Zilvermeeuwen (Herring gulls), are now over 30 years old and reaching the end of their lifetime. Which is why art is being hung inside all 44 metro trains. In the meantime a start has been made on preparations for their replacement and a capacity increase. If everything goes smoothly we hope to be able to welcome the first new metro train to our rails in 2011.

The future
Stadsregio Amsterdam (the District of Amsterdam) has conditionally expressed its preference for awarding the following concession period (which will commence in 2012) to GVB. Thanks to the staff’s continuous efforts to do things better the Board of Management has every confidence that we can capitalise on this opportunity by offering market-conforming quality at a market-conforming price.