Regional bus company Connexxion is to take over the Nijmegen city public transport group Novio after The Hague’s bus company HTM pulled out, Nijmegen city council said on Tuesday. Connexxion is to merge Novio with its Gelderland regional bus operator Hermes.

Also on Tuesday, Connexxion finalised its takeover of Utrecht’s public transport services GVU. That takeover is part of government efforts to force the big four – Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Utrecht and The Hague – to put their bus and tram services out to tender by 2009.
Connexxion is 100% state-owned but is itself a candidate for privatisation.