Dutch Bus Drivers Plan to Strike Every Week Until Christmas

Regional transport workers in the Netherlands began striking on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, and unions FNV and CNV say they plan one strike day each week until Christmas. About 13,000 employees are expected to take part, mainly bus drivers working for operators including Arriva, EBS, Qbuzz and Keolis.

The dispute is with the Association of Public Transport Employers. Employers want to cut sick pay, add more unpaid breaks and make schedule changes at shorter notice. The unions are seeking a 9.5% pay rise over two years, a scheme for older workers, faster permanent contracts and fully paid parental leave for the first nine weeks.

The unions will not announce each strike day until shortly beforehand, so employers cannot draw up emergency timetables in advance. That makes planning harder for visitors using regional buses to reach smaller towns, villages and rail stations outside the big cities.

Urban transport in Amsterdam, The Hague and Rotterdam is excluded, and national NS trains were running on the first strike day. Tourists staying in the main cities are therefore unlikely to feel much, but anyone relying on regional buses for day trips should check operator websites each morning and keep a backup, such as a train connection or a taxi.

Sources: DutchReview, DutchNews.nl