September 06, 2024
Belgians are the most geographically mobile employees in Europe. They travel the longest distance to work, an average of 39 kilometers of all Europeans. Half of Belgians travel 25 km to and from work every day. HR service provider SD Worx discovered this after surveying employees in 18 European countries. Danish and Italian commuters cover […]
September 06, 2024
What so many commuters, young people, and weekend tourists were looking forward to is threatening to be a hefty blow to rail travelers and a PR thud for Belgian rail company NMBS/SNCB. After all, the public rail company wants to postpone the planned expansion of its offerings, which are scheduled for the end of this […]
September 05, 2024
It must be no coincidence: just when three French-speaking parties involved in the formation of the Brussels government decided on their own to present a proposal in parliament to postpone the tightening of the emission standard for the low-emission zone (LEZ) in Brussels from the beginning of 2025 to 2027, the non-profit organization Chercheurs d’Air […]
September 04, 2024
After an intense period with many used car registrations in July, August saw a slight dip with -4.0%. Still, the provisional annual total is heading toward half a million second-hand car registrations (490,296 units), almost 60,000 more than two years ago. Gradually, more electrified used cars are offered, as 12.7% of registered vehicles are chargeable. […]
September 03, 2024
Cyclis Bike Lease, the Belgian bicycle leasing company, has decided to partner with the German JobRad Group. The Hasselt-based company was founded in 2014. Ten years ago, the company was one of Belgium’s first bicycle leasing companies. Cyclis has been the market leader Belgium for years, with 37,000 bicycles under contract. Among them are all […]
September 03, 2024
While the rest of Europe reports discouraging figures, Norway continues to set new benchmarks in electric vehicle adoption. In August, more than 94 percent of all new passenger cars registered were electric, a new record for the world’s forerunner in the EV transition. “This looks very promising to reach 100% as of January,” reacted secretary […]
September 03, 2024
Contrary to popular belief, most cars on the road are not company cars. At least half of private sector employees use their own car to get to work. In SMEs, half of employers (54%) offer a company car. Belgian SMEs’ costs to provide company cars have also increased significantly, by an average of 30%, over […]
August 30, 2024
As great was the joy a few weeks ago at the inauguration of the new streetcar in Liège, so great is the disappointment today among the advocates of a sustainable mobility policy for the Liège metropolis. After all, the new Walloon government has abandoned the project to extend the Liège tramway to Herstal and Seraing. […]
August 30, 2024
Several environmental organizations are suing the European Commission for not imposing sufficiently strict CO2 standards on member states under the 2015 Paris Agreement on global warming. First and foremost, they are calling for fossil-fuel-powered planes and ships to be removed from the EU’s list of sustainable investments, which they say is an example of greenwashing. […]
August 30, 2024
From 2021 to 2024, Europe’s EV charging network experienced an impressive average annual growth rate of 55.4%. This highlights our continent’s strong momentum in expanding its electric vehicle infrastructure. However, despite this rapid growth, Europe still faces a significant challenge in meeting the European Union’s ambitious targets. Belgium, with a spot in the top five […]
August 29, 2024
The ministerial instruction of outgoing Mobility Minister Georges Gilkinet (Ecolo) preventing the use of Boeing 777 aircraft at Brussels Airport at night has been suspended. The Minister said this in the Parliamentary Committee on Mobility. If consultations with the Flemish government come to nothing, it will be up to the next federal government to resolve […]
August 29, 2024
Driveco, a French operator of charging stations for electric vehicles, wants to install 1,500 charging stations in Belgium by 2030 and will allocate 15 million euros for this purpose. The company is already present in Belgium, with 70 charging stations in fifteen different stations, but the goal is to increase that number considerably in the […]
August 28, 2024
Brussels Airlines will soon introduce a new Belgian Icon, following the tribute to Tintin, the Smurfs, Tomorrowland, and the Red Devils, to name but a few. This time, the public may devise a design for a new painted airplane again. Beer, French fries, chocolate, and waffles are out of the question, but otherwise, almost anything […]
August 26, 2024
According to a recent Vias Road Safety Institute study, parents play a decisive role in how 5th- and 6th-grade students perceive traffic. Parents usually decide the means of transport – often the car – for practical reasons, fearing that their child or other road users will not comply with the traffic rules or that their […]
August 26, 2024
Belgian public railroad company NMBS/SNCB aims to increase the number of passengers by 30% by 2032 compared to 2022. Back then, 227 million passengers were transported, so the number of passengers should reach 300 million by 2032. According to the newspaper Le Soir, NMBS/SNCB has launched an investigation into the suburban S-nets of Brussels, Antwerp, […]
August 23, 2024
Brian Niccol, Starbucks’ new top executive, will be provided a jet by the American coffeehouse chain group to fly from his home in California to its headquarters in Seattle. That’s about 1,600 km. Niccol takes office on Monday, September 9th, but so is already under fire, while others accuse the firm of hypocrisy, with some […]
August 23, 2024
The Antwerp Waasland tunnel, the oldest vehicle tunnel under the river Scheldt that connects the city with the river’s left bank, will only be available for local traffic from September 23rd. The city of Antwerp decided this on the advice of the Roads and Traffic Agency (Agentschap Wegen en Verkeer, AWV). Soon, through traffic will […]
August 22, 2024
Brussels has 13,175 people on the waiting list to park their bikes in a secure bike park or box, 701 more than in February of this year, reports the Brussels news site BRUZZ. Parking.brussels has installed new bike boxes here and there over the past months, but the demand for bike parking continues to grow. […]
August 22, 2024
On Wednesday, Lantis reported that the Oosterweel project in Antwerp will not be completed until the end of 2033, three years later than expected. According to the builder, one of the main reasons for the delay is the PFAS pollution. Not only the works in Linkeroever and Zwijndrecht were confronted with this, similar pollution was […]
August 21, 2024
“A historic day” is what Willy Demeyer, the socialist mayor of Liège, called yesterday the first return after nearly 60 years of the streetcar to the center of the Cité ardente for a first test. “This streetcar will revolutionize mobility, the environment, and the economy,” De Meyer said. On August 31st, 1964, the streetcar made […]
August 20, 2024
According to a recent survey by Belgian HR service provider SD Worx, in the provinces of Limburg and Antwerp, almost one in five employees already have a company bicycle, and these SMEs also intend to expand their company bicycle fleet by 9% and 8% in 2024 or 2025, respectively. West Flanders currently ranks third, but […]
August 19, 2024
Major renovation works on the Craeybeckx tunnel on the E19 highway started on Sunday evening in Antwerp. The tunnel will receive LED lighting and a new ventilation system, and the high- and low-voltage installation will undergo a complete overhaul. Disruption will be limited to evenings and nights, and the work will last a year. Consequently, […]
August 16, 2024
Complaining on social media about poor service? They know all about that at the Belgian public railroad company NMBS/SNCB, plagued as it is by the many delayed and canceled trains. Yet NMBS’s communication strategy on X, formerly Twitter, has significantly reduced the number of complaint tweets, according to the doctoral research of administrative scientist Steven […]
August 16, 2024
The extensive renovation works at the Central Station metro station in the heart of Brussels should be completed by the autumn of 2027. The works are thus on schedule. The metro station, one of the oldest in Belgium (1969), will receive a facelift, new spaces, and improved accessibility for people with reduced mobility. With 50,000 […]
August 13, 2024
Fewer cars and trucks drove on Flemish highways last year than in 2019, the year before Covid-19. Nevertheless, according to the Flemish Traffic Center’s annual overviews, traffic congestion was at its highest level in 2023. On an average working day in 2023, almost 3% fewer vehicle kilometers traveled on Flemish highways than in 2019, a […]
August 13, 2024
In an interview with the German newspaper Der Welt, Volkswagen Group CEO Oliver Blume has strongly supported the European Union’s planned ban on combustion engines by 2035. Blume affirmed that electric mobility is the clear path forward for the automotive industry and emphasized a niche role for e-fuels. In the interview, Blume aligned himself with […]
August 12, 2024
Milan Nedeljkovic, BMW Group board member responsible for production, says that fully electric vehicles must have their own dedicated lane on highways. In an interview with the German newspaper Münchner Merkur, Nedeljkovic explained that this would make the possession and use of an EV far more attractive. “When EVs are constantly overtaking you while you […]
August 09, 2024
Flying is getting safer and safer. A study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) shows that the risk of dying on a plane flight has halved every decade since the late 1960s. Between 2018 and 2022, the average was one death for every 13.7 million passengers worldwide, compared with one death for every 7.9 […]
August 08, 2024
German car rental company Sixt is going to rent out fewer electric cars. It is a remarkable reversal for Europe’s largest car rental company, which has always prided itself on significantly reducing the carbon footprint of its rental fleet by achieving a 70-90% share of EVs in Europe by 2030. According to the listed company, […]
August 06, 2024
Chinese carmaker Geely has invested another 120 million pounds, or almost 140 million euros, in LEVC, the British manufacturer of London’s famous black cabs. The investment is the latest signal of growing Chinese involvement in the British EV market. The Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, which, in addition to Volvo, owns car brands such as Zeekr, […]
August 06, 2024
In July 2024, the trend of recent months continued: new speed pedelecs are losing ground (-17.8%, 1,119 units), and second-hand high-speed e-bikes continue to grow (+18.1%, 788 units). According to Filip Rylant, spokesman for mobility federation Traxio, the importance of the second-hand market is increasing very quickly. Two years ago, the number of registrations of […]
August 05, 2024
The Ghent start-up and non-profit organization Straal refurbishes neglected boats to give them a second life. Straal’s initiators want to do something with the many neglected boats left along the banks of the Ghent and European waterways. They focus on the numerous polyester pleasure boats because polyester creates a lot of waste. Refurbishing those boats […]
August 05, 2024
The Flemish government is invoking a conflict of interest regarding federal Mobility Minister Georges Gilkinet (Ecolo) ‘s decision to prevent parcel company DHL from landing or taking off in Zaventem with Boeing 777 aircraft. According to Gilkinet, DHL does not comply with night-time noise standards. In turn, Flemish Periphery Minister Ben Weyts (N-VA) says Gilkinet […]
August 02, 2024
After an unexpected but once-only decline in June compared to June 2023, there were many new registrations of second-hand cars in July: 64,660 units, +12.3%. That is the highest monthly result of 2024, concludes Filip Rylant, spokesperson for mobility federation Traxio. July is traditionally calmer (summer holidays), but the second-hand market continues to do well. […]
August 01, 2024
As expected, Lufthansa’s second-quarter profit almost halved compared to the same period last year. Net profit came in at 469 million euros, down from 881 million euros in 2023, or a 47% drop year-on-year. Due to increasing competition and overcapacity on certain lines, the group cannot sustain the high ticket prices after the coronavirus pandemic. […]
July 30, 2024
Dutch city dwellers are increasingly going on holiday with a shared car. According to figures from shared-car provider MyWheels, the number of holiday trips booked with a shared vehicle has increased by almost 150 percent compared to last year. Shared cars for holiday trips are reserved much earlier than for regular trips. A vehicle for […]
July 29, 2024
The growing popularity of rideable electric suitcases to get people quickly around airports and train stations has alarmed Japanese authorities following a rise in incidents of foreign visitors using them illegally on public roads. A rideable suitcase, particularly popular in parts of Asia, has a built-in electric motor, is powered by lithium-ion batteries, and can […]
July 29, 2024
The French railroad company SNCF announced repairs on the French TGV network following a large-scale attack on Friday. This attack involved arson on high-speed train cables and installations. SNFC says passengers will normally experience no further impact this week. The attack happened just hours before the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics. Eurostar trains from […]
July 26, 2024
SPW Mobilité, the Public Service for Walloon Mobility, is completing a study on the creation of a network of cycle routes in Walloon Brabant, writes the newspaper L’Avenir. The initiative was developed in consultation with the province, 27 municipalities, and stakeholders, such as the cycling association Gracq and NMBS/SNCB. Compared to Flanders, Wallonia lags in […]
July 25, 2024
Belgian motorists stood still in traffic jams for an average of 6 minutes and 43 seconds per day between January 1 and July 1, representing 40 hours and 51 minutes of lost time per year. According to the Belgian Mobility Dashboard, developed by the Federation of Belgian Enterprises (FEB) and automobile federation FEBIAC. Compared to […]
July 25, 2024
The average car on the Belgian market is getting longer, wider, and heavier, reducing available space on roads and in cities. This trend has been going on for some time now. In 2023, the Belgian automobile fleet represented about 6 million vehicles, occupying a space corresponding to 9,787 football fields. Ten years ago, it would […]
July 25, 2024
The latest edition of Ayvens’ Mobility Guide 2024 provides a comprehensive country-by-country analysis of EV readiness and electrification pace. Belgium (4) and Luxembourg (5) are joining the top five countries despite a general negative feeling among mostly private buyers. Norway remains number one, with the Netherlands and Finland following close by. The annual guide draws […]
July 24, 2024
From now on, season ticket holders of the Flemish public transport company De Lijn can register their boarding or transfer digitally. This means that bus or streetcar passengers who have registered their ride or transfer in advance on busy lines no longer have to queue to scan their MOBIB card with the driver. User surveys […]
July 24, 2024
The Californian Monarch Tractor wants to conquer the European market from Belgium and, therefore, intends to build a new head office there. The pioneer in self-driving electric tractors is counting on the financial support of Flemish government investor PMV. With the Welfare Fund established as a recovery vehicle, PMV invested substantially in the American company. […]
July 23, 2024
Irish low-cost airline Ryanair saw profits nearly halve in the first quarter. Still, the airline expects ticket prices in the second quarter to remain lower than last summer, whereas previously, the company was still assuming stable or slightly higher prices. Summer is a crucial time for airlines. It is the period when they make the […]
July 23, 2024
Boeing’s 777X, the biggest dual-engine commercial airplane in the world, is expected to fly through the skies starting in 2025. The American aircraft manufacturer also expects that the global fleet of commercial aircraft will grow to more than 50,000 aircraft in 20 years, about double its current fleet. Major competitor Airbus is not sitting idle […]
July 23, 2024
Belgian police issued 8,420,303 traffic violations last year, or 10,6% more than in 2022. That accounts for a new record. Four out of five cases involved speeding; compared to 2022, 11,8% more speeding drivers were caught. Police attribute the rising figures to the higher number of intelligent ANPR cameras, especially the higher number of average […]
July 22, 2024
On Friday, a computer glitch caused many problems at airports worldwide. From Sydney over Dubai to Berlin, nearly 4,300 aircraft had to be grounded, with the US, Britain, India, and Australia particularly affected. In Belgium, the damage from the computer malfunction remained relatively limited, with delayed flights at Brussels Airport—courtesy of the old computer system. […]
July 19, 2024
As of October, the Ghent City Council will be able to collect traffic fines in 22 additional European countries, from Spain to Italy to Poland. Previously, this was limited to a few neighboring countries. A European cooperation and the involvement of two Dutch companies makes the fine policy possible. It involves violations of parking policies, […]
July 19, 2024
Ursula von der Leyen, reappointed on Thursday by the European Parliament as president of the European Commission, wants to make train travel more accessible by creating a standard reservation system at the EU level. She said this in the political guidelines for the next legislature for 2024-2029, just before the vote for her reappointment. “We […]
July 18, 2024
Belgium will receive 47.9 million euros in European funding to modernize its railroad infrastructure between Brussels and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and to equip rolling stock with the ETCS safety system. This was announced by Federal Minister of Mobility Georges Gilkinet (Ecolo). The funds will come from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) fund, a […]
July 18, 2024
According to Dutch energy expert Koen Kuijper, author of the website ‘energievergelijk.nl’ (‘energy comparison’), holidaymakers pay significantly different rates for electric charging abroad. Prices often vary depending on the country where they ‘refuel’. “Anyone who will soon be going on or returning from a holiday abroad with an electric car would be wise to compare […]
July 17, 2024
Consumer organization Testaankoop/Test Achat (TA) and equal opportunities center Unia threaten a lawsuit against Belgian public railroad company NMBS/SNCB for “digital discrimination.” This is because some tickets can be purchased cheaper via the app than at the ticket counter and vending machines. Other tickets, in turn, are only available via the app. The two organizations […]
July 16, 2024
The municipal tax on charging stations that several Brussels municipalities want to introduce is contrary to Brussels legislation, says outgoing Minister of Finance and Budget Sven Gatz (Open VLD), who also warns that the tax will hinder Brussels’ economic development. Brussels municipalities want to introduce a charging station tax in 2025. The tax could be […]
July 16, 2024
In the coming weeks, bicycle repair kiosks will be installed at some 30 NMBS/SNCB train stations in Belgium. These stands will allow cyclists to carry out minor repairs to their bikes themselves. The first stands have been installed at Duffel (Antwerp) and Enghien (Hainaut) stations. The stands are part of the NMBS/SNCB plan to make […]
July 15, 2024
Lufthansa, still Europe’s largest airline group, has downgraded its financial outlook 2024 and announced a “recovery plan”. After a disappointing first half year, the group, which in addition to Lufthansa includes Austrian, Swiss, Eurowing, and Brussels Airlines, among others, now expects an operating profit of between 1.4 billion and 1.8 billion euros in 2024, down […]
July 15, 2024
The Belgian public railroad company NMBS/SNCB will stop the physical sale of tickets for international train travel in nine stations starting in October. These are Arlon, Eurpen, Ottignies, Brussels-Luxembourg, Antwerp-Berchem, Courtrai, Hasselt, Mechelen, and Ostend. NMBS/SNCB will concentrate on selling such international train tickets in 12 so-called ‘travel stores’. Specialized travel stores According to NMBS/SNCB […]
July 12, 2024
Wallonia plans to introduce a freeway vignette to finance infrastructure in Wallonia. This is according to the new coalition agreement proposed yesterday by the political parties MR and Les Engagés. Usually, the additional tax would apply only to foreigners. However, a cooperation agreement must first be reached with Flanders and the Brussels Capital Region so […]
July 12, 2024
On Thursday, the construction of the Pukkelpop festival village started in Hasselt. This year’s edition will be greener—or rather bluer—thanks to the use of so-called ‘blue diesel’. For the first time, all forklift trucks, off-road buggies, and generators used on the site – from now until the end of the festival = will run on […]
July 11, 2024
French rail group Alstom has signed a €2,8 billion framework contract with German public transport company Hamburger Hochbahn. The contract includes the supply of 374 new metro trains for fully automated or semi-automated operation for Hamburg’s city metro. The DT6 metros will be produced at Alstom’s Salzgitter site in Germany starting in 2026. The first […]
