Flemish public transport company De Lijn paid 5 900 euros in fines last year for violations in the Low-Emission Zones (LEZ) of Antwerp, Ghent, and Brussels. This is according to the figures Green MP Stijn Bex requested.

Fines for unauthorized diesel buses are on a downward trend. In 2019, for example, the company still paid 46 619 euros in fines. By 2026, however, those fines could well rise substantially.

From 1 January 2026, the LEZ rules are tightened, which means Euro 6 buses will no longer be allowed to enter Ghent and Antwerp. De Lijn said this could lead to an estimated 30 million euros in fines.

No exception for De Lijn

The tightening of the rules has already been approved at first reading. “Mobility Minister Lydia Peeters (Open Vld) did not pay close attention to that,” says Bex. “But since De Lijn has pulled the emergency brake, she is organizing consultations.”

Bex questioned Environment Minister Zuhal Demir (N-VA) in parliament about the issue. “We are in consultation with colleague Peeters,” the Minister said. “I will put the amended decision on the agenda for a second approval in principle as soon as possible.” Demir made it clear that she did not want an exception for De Lijn. According to her, the government should set an example.

Delay with e-buses

De Lijn is struggling with an aging vehicle fleet with more than 500 vehicles older than 15 years. There is also a delay in the influx of e-buses. According to the framework agreement the Flemish government signed with De Lijn, the transport company has to get 228 more e-buses in 2024, 315 in 2025, 391 in 2026, and 567 in 2027.

If those agreements are honored, De Lijn will be able to run 80% of its journeys emission-free by the end of 2027, according to the Minister, and the transport company will also be on track to run emission-free everywhere by 2035.

Currently 16 e-buses

At the end of April, the newspaper Het Laatste Nieuwe broke the news that to avoid the monster fines for LEZ, De Lijn might buy second-hand diesel buses, which would still be allowed to drive around the countryside, where there are no strict emission standards.

De Lijn’s top woman Ann Schoubs and Minister Peeters called the story “a quack” or “fake news”. According to the Minister, the proposition did appear in a memo to De Lijn’s board of directors, but the message was “immediately wiped off the table”.

Of the 2 200 buses De Lijn currently uses, 70% run on diesel, 29% are hybrids, 0,7% are electric (16 units), and 0,2% use hydrogen (5 units).