NMa holds consultation on buyer power in Dutch rail and aviation industries
In what ways can users in the rail and aviation industries exercise their buyer power? The NMa regulates the Dutch rail industry, as well as Amsterdam airport Schiphol. To further optimize its oversight in these industries, the NMa wishes to find out to what extent rail undertakings and airlines are able to exercise their buyer power vis-à-vis operators, both in the passenger and freight segments. Examples include infrastructure charge negotiations between network infrastructure manager ProRail and rail undertakings, and new tariff consultations between Schiphol and airlines (its users). The objective of the NMa’s market consultation is to find out to what degree buyer power is already present in the Dutch transport industry, how it can be increased in the future, if so required, and, finally, what the NMa, service providers, users, and lawmakers can do to help.
The NMa regulates a number of transport markets. This regulation is laid down in legislation. The Dutch Railway Act and Dutch Aviation Act in particular aim to increase buyer power through information requirements, consultations, and right of complaint with the NMa. In order to gain more insight as to how buyer power works in the rail and aviation industries, the NMa’s Office of Transport Regulation earlier commissioned a study into the broad concept of buyer power. Following that study’s results, the NMa held a consultation on the question of how buyer power can be enhanced.
Both the consultation document (in Dutch) and the executive summary of the aforementioned study into the concept of buyer power (in English) are available for download below.