Amsterdam will ban coaches from city center from 2024

The city of Amsterdam has decided to ban heavy coaches (+7,5 tons) from the city center as of 2024. The decision has been taken because the many buses – up to 450 a day – are a nuisance for inhabitants.

The bus traffic causes congestion in the narrow streets of Amsterdam and creates unsafe situations for cyclists and pedestrians. Moreover, the coaches are too heavy for the quays and bridges, producing emissions while waiting for passengers with their engines running.

Museums

However, an exception will be made for some streets – Weesperstraat, Valkenburgerstraat, and Kattenburgerstraat – where some popular museums are situated: the Nemo Science Museum, the Jewish Museum, and the Hermitage, among others.

Amsterdam is a tourist attraction. Every year, many thousands of people visit the Dutch capital by coach. In 2019, before the corona crisis, the city registered almost 22 million tourist visitors.

Amsterdam is the most populous city in the Netherlands. It has a population of 921 402 within the inner city, 1 457 018 in the urban area, and 2 480 394 in the metropolitan area. In 2020, tourists to Amsterdam fell by 62% to eight million.