George Lewis from Egypt is a Master student of Technology Management and wonders why you need to push a button to open a train or a bus. “In other countries the doors open automatically when you reach a station, whereas in the Netherlands travelers need to take action themselves. Why is this?”

The Internet does not give any solutions and at the Eindhoven train and bus station several theories are suggested. A driver of the Phileas bus informs us that the Phileas is actually the only bus in which you always have to operate the doors yourself as a traveler. “Originally the idea was for this bus to move without a driver, so everything is equipped for the self-reliance of passengers. In other buses it is up to the drivers to decide whether they will operate the doors or not.” In practice this usually boils down to occasionally locking the back door. “When we see a large group of travelers at the back door who we suspect will not buy tickets, we make everybody mount the bus through the front door.”

For trains, although the reason that is given is security, the explanation heard from two ticket collectors and a counter clerk leads to the conclusion that when travelers themselves open and close the doors, the resulting situation is the exact opposite of security. Guests enjoying the sunshine on a nearby terrace come up with more interesting theories: A matter of the least possible loss of heat in winter. The Dutch are a self-willed people and like to keep everything under control themselves. It is a remnant from the days when the doors had to be opened by means of a handle. Modernization provided a quick fix and turned the handle into an electronic push-button…(HB)