Keolis Nederland is a public transport company operating bus and passenger train services in the Netherlands. Originally created as Syntus and owned by

Connexxion Connexxion is a large Public transport in the Netherlands, public transport company in the Netherlands, operating in the west, middle, east and southwest parts of the country. It is owned by Transdev and Bank Nederlandse Gemeenten. It is a subs ...

, Keolis and Nederlandse Spoorwegen, since 2012 Keolis Nederland has been a 100% subsidiary of Keolis. Syntus is an acronym for Synergy between Train and Bus.

History

In 1991 Geldersche Streekvervoer Maatschappij (GSM) and the Dutch Railways started a transport integration project called Integratie Gelderland Oost. Integration between train and bus was the main goal. GSM later merged with Gemeentelijk Vervoerbedrijf Arnhem to form Gelderse Vervoersmaatschappij. In 1999 Syntus commenced rail operations,

, Keolis and Nederlandse Spoorwegen each owning one-third. In 2007 Connexxion's share was purchased by Keolis and Nederlandse Spoorwegen. In 2012 Keolis purchased Nederlandse Spoorwegen's 50% share. In October 2017, Syntus was rebranded Keolis Nederland with a new visual identity.

Visgraatmodel

Syntus propagates synergy, which is based on a so-called 'visgraatmodel' (fish bone model). In this model train service represent the backbones. Bus services represent the spokes that feed train services. After a while other public transport companies like Arriva and Veolia Transport copied the model.

Operations

In 2005, Syntus briefly operated a cross border service into Germany from Arnhem to

Emmerich Emmerich may refer to: Places * Emmerich am Rhein, city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany ** Emmerich Rhine Bridge ** Emmerich station * Emmerich, Wisconsin, unincorporated community in the town of Berlin, Wisconsin, United States Other uses * ...

. From December 2006 until December 2013, Syntus operated the Almelo to

Mariënberg Mariënberg (Dutch Low Saxon: ''Mainbarg'' or ''Mainbarrug'') is a village in the Netherlands, Dutch province of Overijssel. It is located in the municipality of Hardenberg, and lies on the westside of the Vechte, Vecht river, between Hardenberg a ...

rail concession under sub-contract to

. In August 2010, Syntus commenced an eight-year contract to operate services in

Overijssel Overijssel (, ; nds, Oaveriessel ; german: Oberyssel) is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands located in the eastern part of the country. The province's name translates to "across the IJssel", from the perspective of the ...

. In December 2010, it commenced a 10-year contract to operate services in Gelderland. In December 2016, it commenced a seven-year contract to operate services in Utrecht.Syntus Keolis Group wins third contract in a row
Keolis 27 September 2016 In December 2017, Keolis Nederland has commenced a ten-year contract to operate bus services in Almere. In the same month, it has commenced a 15-year contract to operate rail services in the province of

from Zwolle to

Enschede Enschede (; known as in the local Twents dialect) is a municipality and city in the eastern Netherlands in the province of Overijssel and in the Twente region. The eastern parts of the urban area reaches the border of the German city of Gronau ...

and Zwolle to

Kampen Campen or Kampen may refer to: Places Finland * Kampen, the Swedish name of Kamppi, a district in Helsinki Germany * Campen, Germany, a village by the Ems estuary, northwestern Germany, home of the Campen Lighthouse * Campen Castle, a part ...

. These will be operated by 16 Stadler Flirts.

Branding

Syntus' corporate identity consisted of the colors yellow, white and blue. Every region has its own identity incorporated in the corporate identity. The Syntus brand was be retired in 2017 and replaced by the Keolis brand.Stadler EMUs enter service with Dutch operators
''International Railway Journal'' 14 December 2016

References

External links

{{Transdev Deventer Keolis Nederlandse Spoorwegen Companies based in Overijssel Railway companies of the Netherlands Transdev Transport companies established in 1999 Transport in the Netherlands 1999 establishments in the Netherlands