Bus passengers give De Lijn an average score of 7.5 out of 10

Some 77% of passengers who took a bus trip with De Lijn in 2024 are satisfied with their journey. This is according to a survey conducted by the Flemish Department of Mobility among 13,097 passengers between March and December last year.

Only 6% of them gave the public transport company a score lower than five out of ten. These are remarkable figures, to say the least, for De Lijn, which is plagued with a shortage of drivers, an aging fleet, many trip cancellations, and the ‘chaos’ surrounding the introduction of so-called basic accessibility.

Especially school students not satisfied

The travelers who participated in the satisfaction survey, with more than three-quarters giving De Lijn a score seven out of ten or more, are especially satisfied with their sense of safety and the friendliness and driving style of the driver.

Punctuality (especially during rush hour), long transfer times, inadequate travel information and cleanliness, on the other hand, appear to be points of concern, as do huge crowds.

Satisfaction is highest in the regions of Ostend (87%), Bruges (86%), Leuven, and Mechelen (both 82%). In Antwerp (74%), for example, the Flemish periphery around Brussels, Waasland, and the Flemish Ardennes, the figures are remarkably lower, at 71%, 64%, and 61%, respectively. Travelers older than 25 years (83%) say they are satisfied, while school students (69%) tend to be less.

Concerns

Flemish Minister of Mobility Annick De Ridder (N-VA) calls the survey results an “encouraging sign.” “This year, the Flemish government is investing a record 400 million euros in the purchase of new, sustainable buses,” the Minister said.

Another 125 million euros will be added at the end of the legislature. Last week, it was announced that De Lijn will have to increase the average ticket price by at least 18.37%.

Comparing the new satisfaction score with that of previous years is difficult. This is because, from now on, the Flemish government is using a new methodology to gauge ride satisfaction rather than overall passenger satisfaction with De Lijn.

In 2023, for example, only 6 out of 10 travelers were satisfied with De Lijn. The satisfaction survey also did not include the many complaints about basic accessibility introduced last year and in January of this year.

Travelers’ organization TreinTramBus also has reservations about the satisfaction survey. “People on the bus or streetcar were surveyed for this,” says spokesperson Stefan Stynen in a reaction in the newspaper Gazet van Antwerpen.

“And not people who did not catch their bus or streetcar due to a delay. Or people who have dropped out over the past few months and no longer take public transportation. Especially in the Antwerp region, there are quite a few of them.”

But “the fact that travelers are still satisfied with the drivers does make us very happy,” Stynen concludes.