passenger’s transport. The following sector associations, which must be seen as
subdivisions of KNV rather than independent organisations, are active within KNV:
• KNV Mobis (public transport). All major public transport companies, including NS
(railways), the four major regional bus companies (Arriva, BBA, Connexxion, and
Hermes), the eight local public transport companies (in Amsterdam, Dordrecht,
Groningen, Maastricht, Nijmegen, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht) and two so-
called ‘multi-modal’ companies (Syntus and Noordnet, that exploit both train and
bus transport), are a member of KNV Mobis. KNV Mobis however does not
conclude collective wage agreements as its members have company collective
agreements; the regional public transport companies have established a separate
organisation, VWOG (see below) as a contracting party for the regional transport
collective agreement.
• KNV Busvervoer (private bus transport).
• KNV Goederen (road haulage of freight) represents 120 larger companies in the
road haulage of freight (equivalent to about 40% of economic output). These
conclude their own collective agreement with the unions, and are not bound by the
TLN agreement.
• KNV Taxi10, which represents nearly half of all taxi companies with employees.
According to KNV Taxi, about two-third of all taxi cars are owned by KNV
members. According to the figures from the Ministry of Social Affairs and
Employment, nearly two-third of employees are working for a member of KNV
Taxi.
Two other employers' organisations in road transport have a peculiar position. The
Association of Employers in Public Transport (Vereniging Werkgevers Openbaar
Vervoer, VWOV) represents bus companies in public transport on social affairs only. The
organisation has been set up exclusively to be contracting party to collective wage
agreements. On general and trade matters, the members of VWOG are represented by
KNV Mobis. All five companies in regional public transport are affiliated to the VWOG.
The VWOG is neither affiliated to KNV or VNO-NCW, nor to any European
organisation. This is considered not necessary, as the individual companies are also
members of KNV, which is in turn affiliated to the national and European organisations.
The VWOV is affiliated directly to the UITP (Union International de Transport
Publique).
VVT is the Association of Vertical Transport (‘Vereniging voor Verticaal Transport’),
which represents firms active in transporting heavy freight and mobile cranes. In 1998,
the Commission started a legal procedure against VVT because of a supposed cartel,
which caused the bankruptcy of the predecessor of VVT, the FNK. The VVT is member
of the European Association of Heavy Haulage Transport and Mobile Cranes.
10 Apart from 15 self-employed professionals, all member companies of KNV Taxi are companies with employees.