GVB company profile 

2013 is going to be an exciting year. Our new mission, vision, and strategic direction enables us to offer the best possible public transportation in the Netherlands. The new metros​ that will be put in service this year and provide a huge improvement in travel comfort. 

See the video on our YouTube channel GVBverbindt (GVB connects). (new window)

The basics
For more than 113 years, GVB has managed the tram, bus, metro, and ferries in Amsterdam. We take care of operations, management, and maintenance of the track infrastructure within the city. GVB transport about 700,000 travelers a day in and around Amsterdam.

Mission
GVB promotes accessibility and quality of life in and around Amsterdam by providing public transportation that is a safe and attractive alternative compared to the car.

Strategy
GVB is a service organization and wants to be "the" public transportation company for Amsterdam. We take four factors into account: quality of service, growth, effect on the environment, and fares in line with the market. To achieve these ends, GVB has the following policy:

Quality of services
Frequency and transfer connections are the defining attributes that determine the attraction to using transportation services. These must be safe, punctual, clean and customer friendly. Well trained and motivated personnel and continuous process improvements ensure continuous improvement of services.

Amsterdam is a city in motion
Amsterdam: a city with more than 750,000 residents. Each year, ten million tourists visit the city and surrounds. On peak days, about one million travelers in and around Amsterdam choose to travel on GVB metros, trams, buses, and ferries. The surrounding areas include: Diemen, Wessp, Amstelveen, Ouder-Amstel, and Harlemmermeer (Badhoevedorp, Schipol). Public transportation in Amsterdam runs 24 hours a day.
A good network of fast, reliable, comfortable and safe public transportation is needed for the economic and social development of the city. GVB takes care of this.

In service for the passenger
GVB wants to offer passengers services of a high quality. For GVB, quality is: transportation that leaves on time, clean and safe, friendly staff and up to date information.
Accessible and current information is important when planning a trip, and especially during your trip. The GVB website lists all departure times from stops and stations for all routes in Amsterdam. Travelers that need travel information while on a trip can use the mobile website.

Safe travel requires the prevention of traffic accidents and accidents in the vehicles. A modern guided transportation system continuously monitors traffic flow to avoid unpleasant situations. Traffic management is in constant contact with police, firefighters, and other emergency services.

GVB really wants all passengers to feel at home in their vehicles while traveling with other passengers. Which is why is public safety is so important, especially in a busy metropolis. It is important that the surroundings are kept clean and inviting for boarding. Graffiti is removed as much as possible before the vehicle is put into operation on the next day.
Our staff "on the street" are our contact persons for all travelers. They are trained for customer service and are quick to handle unpleasant situations. If you cannot find staff at your location, you can always contact GVB Customer Service. Fourteen hours a day, seven days a week, our staff are ready to answer passenger's questions.

Passengers' opinions are important to GVB. Accordingly, a study is carried out twice a year on the passenger's assessment on the quality of service (punctuality, safety, cleanliness, service and informatie). GVB uses the results of this study further improve the quality of service.

The public transportation organization
GVB manages public transportation under commission from the City Region of Amsterdam. The relationship is formalized in a contract that in the transportation field is called a transportation commission. This business relationship with local government leads to a healthy area of tension between both parties where both sides work to provide further improvement in public transportation in Amsterdam.
The City Region of Amsterdam defined a number of requirements for GVB for the concession, such as providing transportation of high quality and punctual implementation of the timetable. It also details the requirements for breakdowns, travel information, alternative transportation during emergencies, diversions during events, accessibility to the facilities and so on.

GVB transports passengers in and around Amsterdam with 56 bus lines (of which 12 are night routes), 16 tram routes, 4 metro routes and 5 ferry connections. The organization of all these forms of transportation within one company offers the best guarantee for a coherent urban transport network with consistent quality for the lowest costs. GVB also wants to maintain this integrated transport organization in the future after the existing concession.

GVB operations
GVB brings out about 8,500 trips in one day. This requires thorough organization, preparation and supervision. The timetable for an entire year is set down so that the 2,000 drivers and 650 conductors can review and record their work timetable for that year. However, unusual circumstances may require quick adjustments. Sometimes these are planned events. Often these are unplanned, such as illness or there is a vehicle breakdown.
Defects cannot always be prevented, but can be reduced by proper maintenance. The city has around 280 km of tram and metro rail that is heavily used. Therefore, regular maintenance and timely replacement of the tracks is very important for safe transportation and the safety of passengers.

The municipality of Amsterdam is indeed the owner of all infrastructure (tracks) in Amsterdam, but as a user of the tracks GVB has the responsibility for track management and maintenance. The overhead wires on the tram and metro routes also require maintenance. In emergencies or when there is damage the maintenance team springs immediately into action to carry out repairs. Scheduled maintenance on the track and overhead wires are mostly carried out at night.

Our vehicles are regularly sent to our workshops for maintenance. In addition to the maintenance of 52 metro stations, about sixty people cleaning crews work each day inside and outside GVB. Renovation is also carried out alongside the daily maintenance. The metro stations along the oldest routes (between Central Station and Gein/Gaasperplas) are being renovated.

Green and sustainable
The effects on the environment by the vehicles in which passengers are transported receives a lot of consideration. GVB operates in a densely populated area. For its trams and metros, GVB uses electricity generated from the incineration of waste. The buses are regularly replaced with newer buses that have cleaner engines. GVB also has been participating in a European project since 2004 to test fuel cell buses in practice.
One GVB goal is to continue to have a lower impact on the environment. The program includes more noise reduction for trams and metros and new technologies that reduce emissions from buses.

Amsterdam transportation company
Despite many improvements in quality, improvements in quality are still needed to remain the transportation leader in this city in the future. The entire company works ambitiously on this challenge.
The requirements set by our client for the next concession period demands high performance from GVB. The enthusiastic and quality conscious efforts of all our staff is the key to our success. The workforce will continue to be heavily renewed in the coming years. Older people leave the company, young people join. The trend of having an increasingly multicultural workforce will continue.

Public transportation has become safer, but risks do still remain. Investing in public safety shall continue unabated. In the coming years, GVB will provide more quality at lower costs. This assures our place in the future as the transportation company for Amsterdam.