NS also drops 'ladies and gentlemen' in announcements

Dutch rail company NS decided to also make its announcements gender neutral. Following the example of London's underground and the municipality of Amsterdam, NS will soon address its travelers not as 'ladies and gentlemen', but as 'best travelers', NOS reports.

This measure will be implemented with the new timetable on December 10th. NS hopes to also turn all the broadcasts on stations gender neutral - the company is in talks with the other transit companies on the Dutch rail network.

NS emphasizes that this is not a ban on 'ladies and gentlemen' - the rail company simply wants everyone to feel welcome on the train and at the station. "In personal conversations, it is naturally up to the conductor how he expresses his hospitality. Every traveler is precious to us", NS director Roger van Boxtel said to NOS.

On Wednesday the municipality of Amsterdam announced that it will implement a gender-neutral communication policy, swapping 'ladies and gentlemen' in speeches and 'dear sir/madam' in letters to 'best attendees', or 'dear resident'. The London underground also recently changed 'ladies and gentlemen' to 'hello everyone' in its announcements.