27 Nov 2023
I wanted to write this review for anyone a little uneasy about the transfer coach service that KLM runs from Schiphol to Maastricht Airport via Eindhoven Airport. If you try to get any information on it from the KLM staff at Schiphol, you'll get confused or contradictory information at worst, or very vague waves at best. The first thing to do is simply google 'KLM transfer to Maastricht' or something like that and you'll get the official KLM page telling you all about it; not a great deal of information, but all you need. I'm just writing to confirm it's accurate as of November 2023 and, as far as I'm concerned, an excellent service.
The Schiphol coach leaves from Coach Stand C 15 (I think) outside the arrivals terminal but just look for the large 'KLM bus' sign on one of the signposts. It arrives around 10 minutes before departure, and will leave on time, so be there. As you've already checked in at your departure airport, all you'll need to show is your boarding pass for that part of the journey to either Eindhoven or Maastricht - it will be a separate document - to the driver. They'll quickly check it and on you go. I was assigned a seat on booking, but as there were only 6(!) other people aboard you can pretty much sit where you like. There's a small coffee and tea making facility with refrigerated bottles of water, free wifi (although I just used my mobile data which was perfectly stable for a three hour drive on Dutch motorways, putting to shame my local broadband) and the seats are comfortable. In short, it's very civilised. Arrival at Eindhoven was 90 minutes or so later, leaving me as the sole passenger to Maastricht, which was around 70 minutes later (although it was light traffic and I'm sure it could be longer).
The drivers both ways were very polite and professional, happy to help with larger luggage for other passengers (I just had a rucksack) and clearly informed everyone when we were arriving. The return leg from Maastricht was just as good; the coach arrived around ten minutes before departure again (just before 3pm on a Sunday afternoon), having come from Maastricht's bus station 20 minutes or so away. There was a single passenger from there, with around half a dozen passengers joining at Eindhoven on the way back. The traffic was slightly busier but we arrived a little early to Schiphol, where I spent a pleasant three hours shopping, eating and even a little work on my laptop.
So, if you're a little unsure about your onward journey to either Eindhoven or Maastricht, don't be. It's great.