If you've ever used public transport in Amsterdam, you'll know that the drivers have a somewhat different attitude compared to PT in other cities. I was confronted with that again, this morning.
Getting to work for me involves getting on a bus, then switching to a train, and lastly I get on a tram. The bus isn't from Amsterdam. That makes it easy: you wait for it to appear and get on. If you're still approaching the bus stop when that bus is appearing, you run at it and it'll stay there so you can still get on. The trains go at regular intervals (or are delayed, but never too early) so you shouldn't have any trouble making it there in time.
Now the public transport in Amsterdam. They will not wait. At all. Not even a single second. Just this morning, I was approaching the tram. I was literally less than 50cm away from the door when it closed and the tram rode away.
Well, at least I had some time to get something to drink.