HugoHopper

HugoHopper is a local public and private transport service operating in the municipality of Dijk en Waard in the province of North Holland, the Netherlands. It is organised as a members' association (vervoersvereniging), meaning that residents of the municipality can become members and then use the service. The network is designed as a local supplement to regular public transport, making travel within the municipal boundaries easier and simpler. It is closely associated with the town of Heerhugowaard, which is part of Dijk en Waard. The service has two main components. The first is a scheduled line service (lijndienst) that runs five routes, six days a week: Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 17:30 and Saturday from 10:00 to 16:00. These routes cross and open up the various neighbourhoods of Heerhugowaard and pass by, or come close to, almost all important public locations such as shopping centres, the library, the railway station, public transport bus stops, the swimming pool, activity centres, sports facilities, and care and health centres. Each route has its own colour and around 20 stops where the bus stops at fixed times; passengers can board anywhere along a route as long as it is safe to do so. The second component is door-to-door transport, intended especially for elderly people and people with disabilities, for social and medical trips, and for those who cannot travel by regular public transport or by the HugoHopper line service. Door-to-door transport runs by appointment, Monday to Saturday from 08:30 to 17:30, within the municipal boundaries of Dijk en Waard. It can also take passengers to the hospital in Alkmaar and to a number of adjoining villages, including Koedijk, Oterleek, Oudorp, Schermerhorn, Stompetoren, Opmeer, Hoogwoud, Spanbroek, Zandwerven, Hensbroek, Obdam, Ursem, Rustenburg, Wogmeer, Spierdijk, Berkmeer, Oude Niedorp, Zijdewind, Verlaat and Waarland. Rides can be reserved online or by telephone. According to Dutch Wikipedia, the HugoHopper is a form of public transport and private transport in Heerhugowaard. The network consists of four lines, driven with eight-person buses by volunteers. It has been running since 16 August 2010 and is intended for every resident of Heerhugowaard, provided that they are a member of the association. The HugoHopper was set up in cooperation with the municipality of Dijk en Waard. One of the intentions was to reduce the number of Regiotaxi trips under the Wmo (Social Support Act), although only limited success was achieved in that respect. Since 18 August 2019, the HugoHopper has been expanded with neighbourhood bus 407, which partly replaced lines 10 and 150 that were discontinued on 22 July 2018. That neighbourhood bus is a supplement to the HugoHopper but is not itself part of the HugoHopper. HugoHopper thus occupies a niche between conventional public transport and individual taxi or Wmo transport. It is a small, community-oriented transport brand built around membership, volunteer drivers, and a network of local routes and stops, with a door-to-door service for people with mobility needs. Its identity is strongly tied to the local community of Heerhugowaard and the wider municipality of Dijk en Waard.

The HugoHopper was set up in cooperation with the municipality of Dijk en Waard and began operating on 16 August 2010. It was conceived as a local transport service for the residents of Heerhugowaard, organised as a members' association so that users had to become members in order to travel. The service was intended to be a local supplement to regular public transport, making travel within the municipal boundaries possible and simpler. One of the stated intentions behind the initiative was to reduce the number of Regiotaxi trips provided under the Wmo (Social Support Act), although according to Dutch Wikipedia only limited success was achieved in that respect. From the start, the HugoHopper combined a scheduled line service with door-to-door transport. The line service was designed to run through and open up the various neighbourhoods of Heerhugowaard, passing by or close to important public locations such as shopping centres, the library, the railway station, public transport bus stops, the swimming pool, activity centres, sports facilities, and care and health centres. Each route was given its own colour and around 20 stops with fixed times, while passengers could also board anywhere along the route as long as it was safe. The door-to-door service was aimed at elderly people and people with disabilities, for social and medical trips, and for those who could not use regular public transport or the line service. Over time the network grew and changed. Dutch Wikipedia records that the HugoHopper network consists of four lines, driven with eight-person buses by volunteers. On 22 July 2018, lines 10 and 150 were discontinued. Then, on 18 August 2019, the HugoHopper was expanded with neighbourhood bus 407, which partly replaced those discontinued lines. Neighbourhood bus 407 is described as a supplement to the HugoHopper but not itself part of the HugoHopper. The official website describes the line service as running five routes, six days a week, which indicates that the route network has continued to develop beyond the four lines recorded in the encyclopaedic description. The service has remained closely tied to its local community. It is run with the involvement of volunteers, and membership of the association is the gateway to using the line service. The door-to-door service extends beyond the municipal boundaries for certain destinations, notably the hospital in Alkmaar and a list of adjoining villages, reflecting the practical medical and social travel needs of residents. The HugoHopper therefore represents a small-scale, community-based model of transport provision that sits alongside, rather than replaces, the conventional public transport network.

• 2019

  HugoHopper is expanded with neighbourhood bus 407, partly replacing the discontinued lines 10 and 150.

• 2018

  Lines 10 and 150 are discontinued.

• 2010

  HugoHopper begins operating as a local transport service in Heerhugowaard.

A member-based, volunteer-driven local transport supplement to regular public transport, focused on residents of Dijk en Waard and on social and medical mobility.

• Lijndienst (scheduled line service)

  Five coloured routes running six days a week, Monday to Friday 09:00–17:30 and Saturday 10:00–16:00, with around 20 fixed stops per route and boarding possible anywhere along the route if safe.

• Deur-tot-deur vervoer (door-to-door transport)

  By-appointment transport for elderly people and people with disabilities, for social and medical trips, Monday to Saturday 08:30–17:30 within Dijk en Waard, and to Alkmaar hospital and adjoining villages.

• Neighbourhood bus 407

  A supplement to the HugoHopper introduced on 18 August 2019, partly replacing discontinued lines 10 and 150; it is not itself part of the HugoHopper.

1. 1Home | HugoHopper Vervoersvereniging Dijk en Waardhugohopper.nl
2. 2HugoHopperwikidata.org
3. 3HugoHoppernl.wikipedia.org