Overijsselse Autobusdiensten
Dutch coach and tour operator brand, founded in 1942 as Overijsselsche Autobusdiensten, now continuing as a travel brand after the 2013 bankruptcy of OAD Groep.
Last updated September 29, 2026
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Overview
Oad (Overijsselse Autobusdiensten) is a Dutch transport and travel brand whose roots go back to early regional bus services in Overijssel. The company was formally established in 1942 in Holten as Overijsselsche Autobusdiensten O.A.D., combining the bus operations of Arnold Hodes and J.G.P. (Paul) Müller under pressure from the Commissie Vergunningen Personenvervoer. It grew into a regional public transport operator in Salland and Twente and, from the 1960s, increasingly into an organiser of escorted coach tours. The first Oad travel guide appeared in 1970. By the late 20th century Oad had become the largest independent tour operator in the Netherlands, operating through three divisions under OAD Groep: Oad Reizen (air, coach, car, boat and train travel to more than 60 countries), the Globe Reisburo travel agency chain (more than 220 leisure and 8 business travel offices), and Oad Touringcarbedrijf, which ran the largest private coach fleet in the Netherlands. OAD Groep also owned SRC Cultuurvakanties. Public transport activities ended in 2003 when Syntus won the combined bus/train concession Zutphen–Oldenzaal, though Oad briefly returned to public transport in 2009 under contract for Breng (Novio). On 25 September 2013 OAD Groep was declared bankrupt. The coach company, the Globe travel agencies and SRC-Cultuurvakanties were sold to new owners; a restart (doorstart) took place under the name Oad Bus b.v. for the coach business. The Oad Reizen travel brand continued under new ownership and today sells coach holidays, round trips, fly-coach holidays, Disneyland Paris trips, river and sea cruises, walking and cycling holidays, winter sports and themed music trips through its website oad.nl. The brand's current product range is aimed at Dutch leisure travellers, with a broad catalogue of European destinations and a strong emphasis on escorted coach travel.
History
The origins of Oad lie in the early 1920s. In 1922 Gerard ter Haar bought his first motor vehicle, and in 1924 he started a passenger bus service in Borne covering parts of Salland and Twente. Around the same period Arnold Hodes set up a bus service between Rijssen and Almelo under the name Rijssense Autobus Dienst, and in 1921 J.G.P. (Paul) Müller began running a bus between Deventer, Holten and Rijssen. These early buses were not only used for regional services; trips outside the region, such as to Königswinter in Germany, were organised relatively quickly. Under pressure from the Commissie Vergunningen Personenvervoer to cooperate among the 24 bus companies in the eastern Netherlands, the Overijsselsche Autobusdiensten O.A.D. was founded in Holten in 1942. Hodes and Müller transferred their bus transport operations to OAD; Müller continued his road freight activities as Müller Transport. The new company began with thirteen buses and thirteen drivers. On 1 January 1949 it was converted into an NV (public limited company), and in 1950 a new headquarters with garage and workshop opened in Holten. OAD also had branches in Rijssen, Goor, Borne and Deventer. In the following decades OAD's public transport expanded, creating a regional transport area in adjacent parts of Salland and Twente, from Deventer in the west to Almelo and Hengelo in the east. The company also organised group excursions, a business line that became increasingly important. In the 1960s Oad, as the company name was then spelled, also began acting as an organiser of escorted coach tours. In 1970 the first Oad travel guide appeared. By the late 20th century Oad had grown into the largest independent tour operator in the Netherlands. The OAD Groep in Holten directed three divisions: Oad Reizen, a travel organiser of air, coach, car, boat and train trips to more than 60 countries worldwide; the Globe Reisburogroep, one of the largest travel agency chains in the Netherlands with more than 220 leisure and 8 business travel offices; and Oad Touringcarbedrijf, which operated and maintained the largest private coach fleet in the Netherlands. OAD Groep also owned SRC Cultuurvakanties. At the end of 2010 the activities of BEX Reizen and Hotelplan were discontinued and their offerings integrated into Oad's product range. Oad's public transport activities, by then only a small part of the business, ended on 14 December 2003 when Syntus won the combined bus/train concession Zutphen–Oldenzaal after a tender. Syntus initially planned to hire Oad as a subcontractor for bus transport but later decided against it. In December 2009 Oad became active in public transport again: on behalf of Breng (Novio) it operated a bus line from Nijmegen to Uden, which Novio ran in cooperation with Arriva. Novio outsourced all its trips to Oad. For this Oad took over five regional buses from Connexxion, adapted them to concession requirements and repainted them in the Breng colours of the Novio buses. The buses were stabled at Oad's and Van Dongen Reizen's depot in Zeeland. Oad also provided some reinforcement trips with its own vehicles for Arriva in East Brabant and Novio in the Arnhem-Nijmegen city region. On 25 September 2013 OAD Groep was declared bankrupt. In November 2013 the administrators announced that Oad Busbedrijf, the Globe travel agencies and SRC-Cultuurvakanties had been sold; no new owner had yet been found for Oad Reizen. The total debt of the collapsed OAD Groep to Rabobank was nearly 12 million euros and had been fully repaid at that time. OAD Groep had approximately 1,750 employees at the time of the bankruptcy, of whom about 600 retained a workplace. The former owners of OAD Groep claimed 80 million euros from Rabobank, holding the bank responsible for the bankruptcy; the family Ter Haar argued that in spring 2013 Rabobank imposed stricter financial requirements that OAD Groep could not meet. The group itself filed for bankruptcy. According to Rabobank, Oad was loss-making, agreements were not kept and the company was warned several times. The case went to court in September 2015; in early November the court rejected the claim, concluding that the claim could not be brought by shareholders but only by the administrator. The family appealed. On 2 February 2022 the court ruled that Rabobank had been entitled to terminate its credit agreement with OAD in September 2013. In 2019 the court had decided that OAD had to prove that Rabobank, in the crucial week of takeover negotiations, had given the company more time to complete the takeover; OAD could not. The bank was therefore not liable for the damage OAD claimed to have suffered. OAD appealed again, but in February 2024 the court of appeal ruled that it was not Rabobank's fault that the travel organisation went bankrupt. Rabobank therefore did not have to pay compensation to OAD's former owners, who had demanded 70 million euros from the bank. In June 2025 the Supreme Court confirmed the final judgment. A restart (doorstart) took place under the name Oad Bus b.v. for the coach company, with investors involved. The Oad Reizen travel brand continued under new ownership and today operates a broad leisure travel programme through oad.nl, including coach tours, round trips, fly-coach holidays, Disneyland Paris trips, river and sea cruises, walking and cycling holidays, winter sports and music-themed trips.
- 2025
In June the Supreme Court confirms the final judgment.
- 2024
In February the court of appeal rules the bankruptcy was not Rabobank's fault.
- 2022
On 2 February the court rules Rabobank was entitled to terminate its credit agreement with OAD in September 2013.
- 2015
Court case against Rabobank heard in September; claim rejected in early November.
- 2013
OAD Groep declared bankrupt on 25 September; in November the coach company, Globe travel agencies and SRC-Cultuurvakanties are sold.
- 2010
Activities of BEX Reizen and Hotelplan discontinued and integrated into Oad's product range.
- 2009
Oad returns to public transport in December, operating a Nijmegen–Uden bus line for Breng (Novio).
- 2003
Public transport activities end on 14 December when Syntus wins the Zutphen–Oldenzaal concession.
- 1970
First Oad travel guide published.
- 1960
Oad begins organising escorted coach tours.
Products and positioning
Dutch leisure travel brand specialising in escorted coach holidays and broad European tour programmes, historically the largest independent tour operator in the Netherlands.
Busreizen (coach tours)
Escorted coach holidays across Europe.
Rondreizen (round trips)
Multi-day circular tours.
Vlieg-busvakanties (fly-coach holidays)
Holidays combining flights and coach travel.
Disneyland Paris trips
Short breaks to Disneyland Paris.
Zee- & riviercruises (sea and river cruises)
Cruise holidays on sea and rivers.
Wandelvakanties (walking holidays)
Guided and self-guided walking holidays.
Fietsvakanties (cycling holidays)
Cycling holidays in Europe.
Winterreizen (winter holidays)
Winter sports and snowshoeing trips.
Muziekreizen (music trips)
Themed trips, including André Rieu concerts.
Kerstreizen (Christmas trips)
Christmas-themed coach holidays.
Sources3 sources
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