De Lijn’s standard ticket price increases to 3 euros

On April 1st, Flemish public transport company De Lijn will adjust its fares. As announced, the prices of all products are going up. A standard ticket will now cost 3 euros instead of 2,50 euros.

According to the travelers’ organization TreinTramBus, De Lijn’s increase in fares comes at a terrible time for travelers. “Suddenly, there is a huge increase, with an average of 18%, while the service is not always satisfactory.”

Prices generally up one-fifth

Two weeks ago, the Flemish government set the fare framework for De Lijn. It decided that the average of all ticket prices should rise 18.37% to absorb the index of recent years. The transport company has now completed that framework. The price of a 10-ride ticket will rise from 17 to 21 euros, and that of a 50-ride ticket from 75 to 90 euros.

A day ticket goes from 7.5 euros to 9 euros, and a day ticket for a child from 4 to 4.5 euros. An annual adult ticket will now cost 416 euros instead of 351 euros.

Cheaper for students

The increase will be limited to Buzzy Pazz youth season tickets. At the government’s request, the price will remain at the same level, at least for an annual subscription, for 18 to 24-year-olds.

Next year, though, it will drop to 165 euros instead of 215 euros. But a Buzzy Pazz for young people under 18 will increase by 40 euros per year, while in Brussels, for example, young people pay only 12 euros per year.

The social rates are also going up slightly. A Transport Guarantee season ticket for one year will cost 54 euros, a subscription Increased Compensation costs 66 euros. These are the only rates still to be set by the government.

As of April 1st, several practical matters will also change. For example, the operator cost of an SMS ticket will go from 0.15 euros to 0.25 euros, and the validity period of products on an electronic card will be shortened to one year.

Terrible time

The travelers’ organization TreinTramBus calls the decision to increase De Lijn’s fares “objectively correct” since prices urgently need to be adjusted to the index. “We understand that prices are rising, but the price increase does come at a terrible time for the traveler,” says Peter Meukens, the organization’s president.

“There will suddenly be a considerable increase, while the service is not always satisfactory. This year, one in 40 rides was structurally abolished. We also see every day that in many regions, rides are abolished.

For example, one in ten requests for flex transport is refused due to capacity problems. Flex buses operate mainly in sparsely populated regions and can theoretically be requested up to half an hour in advance.

Moreover, there are significant regional differences. The number of denied demands in the Flemish periphery and Kempen regions is 3.3 and 3.8, respectively. In contrast, 12.7% of demands are rejected in the Flanders Fields region and 14.7% in the Ghent region.

According to TreinTramBus, travelers can rely less on the service, and the combination with a serious price increase is consequently “very unfortunate.” Tickets could rise again in 2026.

Insufficient service due to lack of bus drivers

Flemish MP An Christiaens (CD&V), who requested the figures on flex transport, also finds the service insufficient. “Every Fleming is worth the same, whether they live in Limburg, the Flemish periphery, the city, or the countryside,” Christiaens says. “The system must be more transparent and fairer. Users must know what they are entitled to and why a flex ride is granted or denied. That transparency is not always there for travelers today.”

Figures requested by Christiaens also show that 641 drivers left De Lijn last year, a large proportion of them voluntarily. That’s one in ten De Lijn drivers. “Then we have to ask ourselves serious questions about personnel policy,” Christiaens states. The inflow and outflow also vary greatly by province, with Antwerp, East Flanders, and Flemish Brabant scoring the worst.

According to De Lijn, there is a lot of competition in Flemish Brabant and Antwerp – including from the airports – making it easy for drivers to get jobs elsewhere.

Moreover, many applicants fail their driving or cognitive tests. “Those tests are strict because our safety requirements are high,” says De Lijn spokesperson Frederik Wittock in the newspaper Het Belang van Limburg. In addition, the language barrier plays a role. Many new applicants struggle with Dutch, while, of course, it is essential that a driver speaks Dutch fluently.”

There are currently 150 vacancies open at De Lijn.