The Dutch ombudsman for public transport says that the quality of bus and rail services leaves much to be desired, owing to poor co-ordination between transport companies.

The ombudsman's office has received 3,100 complaints since January, 800 of which were about the public transport smart card which is gradually being introduced nationwide. The introduction is proceeding "in a fragmented, ill-considered way", according to the ombudsman.

In a statement to the press the ombudsman's office criticises transport companies for using incompatible systems for electronic ticketing and for applying differing rules for season ticket holders, making the ticketing system confusing for the users. Travellers' complaints are not dealt with efficiently, the ombudsman says.

Partly state-owned rail and bus transport companies in the Netherlands were privatised in the mid-1990s. The public transport ombudsman was set up last year by the Ministry of Transport on an initiative of transport users interest group Rover.

Getting used to the smart card on the Rotterdam metro (ANP Photo)