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11/1 Jurists want to stay in Oudemanhuispoort

8/2 Mayor’s portrait

8/2 Websites for social cohesion

7/2 Spreading tourism proceeds with difficulty

7/2 GroenLinks on districts: Be a man

6/2 Zuideramstel opens new office on Sabbath

5/2 The truth about integration

4/2 Wilders has little support on Amsterdam

3/2 Elite involved in neighbourhood

2/2 Johnnie Walker avoids taxes in Amsterdam

1/2 Rotterdam to tinker with district councils as well

31/1 Wooden rowing boats to disappear from Amstel

31/1 ZeeburgTV launched

27/1 Privacy activists to mess up loyalty card system

27/1 A few were still coughing, but that was an act

27/1 Chrisis in de Baarsjes

26/1 Youth have positive view of districts

24/1 Action groups call for Carmel and Jaffa boycott

24/1 PvdA members dismiss plan for districts

23/1 KLM takes on crisis with new uniform

23/1 District office not squatted

21/1 Merge districts

20/1 Closing squat bar Vrankrijk not necessary

20/1 Cleaners welcome new Schiphol director

18/1 Palestine at the Jewish Historical Museum

18/1 What is the right size for a district?

17/1 PvdA Oost against fewer districts

16/1 Committee: 7 districts by 2010

15/1 Soldiers may attend Afghanistan debate after all

15/1 Bait bike leads to arrest

14/1 Youth for Christ to republish vacancies

13/1 Paintings of the Zuidas

13/1 New Youth for Christ contoversy

11/1 Social cohesion initiative raises eyebrows

10/1 Fewer districts in 2010

10/1 Zuidas: People feel that we are losers

9/1 Fun on the ice - but not for all

9/1 Supermarket coupon fraud thwarted

9/1 I Amsterdam must remain exclusive

8/1 Use term Apartheid in every discussion

8/1 No city kiosk in Amsterdam yet

7/1 Snow

7/1 Fatima Elatik to run Zeeburg

7/1 Municipal managers to return to shop floor

4/1 Police: take photo of strange people

3/1 Gaza protest criticises politicians

1/1 Thousands to protest against attacks on Gaza

1/1 Mustapha Laboui leaves district council

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ING Bank’s student bicycle plan ‘not unique’

4 February 2008 - The ING Bank is offering a few dozen university students in Amsterdam bicycles for little over 100 euro. The bicycle plan is not unique: students’ union ASVA sells hundreds of cheap bicycles to its members, some in collaboration with the Rabobank.

The ING bicycle plan has been developed in collaboration with Business Courses, a company that brings corporate recruiters in contact with high potential students. Students in six cities including Amsterdam can obtain a new ‘grandma’ bicycle for 7.50 euro per month. After twelve months, they will own the bicycle. According to the website, 59 of the 67 bicycles assigned to Amsterdam are still available.

According to ASVA chairman Anne Janssens, the ING bicycle plan is ‘not nearly as unique as they are suggesting’. Each summer, the ASVA gives away bright orange bicycles to students who open an account at the Rabobank. The bank not only pays for the bicycle, but also for their ASVA membership.

Students who want nothing to do with the Rabobank, or who do not want their bicycle spray-painted bright orange, can obtain a bicycle from the ASVA for 45 euro. Contrary to the ING bicycles, these “do not have a ridiculous advertising sign but a simple orange ASVA sticker”, Janssens explains. Both the ASVA bicycles and the ASVA / Rabobank bicycles are deserted bicycles that have been impounded by the municipality and subsequently restored.

About 500 ASVA bicycles have been sold since last summer, and a similar number of Rabobank bicycles have been given away during the summer. One of the objectives of the initiative is to prevent students buying stolen bicycles.

Janssens does not see the ING initiative as competition. “Our aim is to help as many students as possible obtain a legitimate bicycle for as low a price as possible. We have no problem with the ING trying to help out students. They can always call us if they have a problem disposing of their bicycles”.

ING bicycle plan, ASVA bicycle plan (both in Dutch)

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