Of the planned 1 966 Hoppin Points in Flanders, barely 65 have been completed today, only three percent of the network, the newspaper Het Belang van Limburg writes. However, the new mobility hubs envisioned by the Flemish Minister for Mobility Lydia Peeters (Open Vld) are crucial in the Basic Accessibility plan.

That plan designs a significant reform of public transport in Flande. The Flemish government wants to make competitive with the car by switching it from a supply-oriented to a demand-oriented service.

The rollout seems to sputter most of all in the minister’s home province of Limburg rather than in the rest of Flanders: barely four of the 275 planned Hoppin points have been completed today. So, the final goal is still a long way off three years after the initial launch.

Mobility solutions

The Hoppin mobility brand should bundle all available mobility solutions under one umbrella. At Hoppin Points, with recognizable blue pillars and the letter H, commuters can switch between transport options such as buses, (e-)bikes, and shared mobility systems.

The concept, which includes a website and an app, should ensure more demand-driven public transport, with, for example, flex buses, on four layers: train network, core network, supplementary network, and tailor-made transport.

Sputtering rollout

The Basic Accessibility plan was rolled out last year. In November, the pilot project for the Hoppin Center, the center responsible for planning, booking, and paying for public transport in Flanders, was launched in the Klein-Brabant on-call bus area.

With that pilot project, the phased rollout of the Basic Accessibility plan, the first phase of which will take effect from 1 July, became visible on the ground.

The program, which aims to avoid detours through all kinds of village centers and allow buses to get from point A to B faster, was then supposed to be implemented in phases from January 2023, but there is a hitch.

The ecological party Groen also warned about the sputtering rollout last year. Minister Peeters has provided a budget of more than 100 million euros for Hoppin points this legislature. Still, of the almost 5,5 million euros for local governments, for instance, barely 24 000 euros were spent in 2022.

Higher acceleration

In reply, the minister now reveals that she intends to shift a few gears this year. “Before the end of this year, 310 Hoppin points should be added,” Peeters said to the newspaper. That would bring the total to 375 Hoppin points.

According to the minister, the slow rollout and construction of Hoppin points are mainly due to lengthy procedures. For instance, the land must be expropriated in several locations, and environmental permits must be applied.

In addition, two-thirds of the Hoppin points must be constructed by local governments, as they are located along municipal roads. They can also get various subsidies for making these points, or the region can pay half the cost.

The minister is now bouncing the ball back in a certain way, stressing that cities and municipalities must also play their part in this, which does not always happen.