Starting next year, fare evaders on the Flemish public transport company De Lijn will pay €127 for a first offense, up from €107 currently. This is the first time in more than ten years that the fines have been increased.

More than 2.1 million De Lijn passengers have already been checked this year. On average, around 4% of passengers travel without a ticket.

Second time without a ticket, €349 fine

If you are caught travelling on De Lijn with a forged ticket as an adult, you will now face a fine of €296, up from €250 for a first offense. If you are caught a second time within a year without a ticket, you will be fined €349 starting January 1, up from €294 now.

Fines for younger passengers will also increase. For example, the fine for children aged 12 or younger who are unable to show a valid ticket on their first offense will increase from €56 to €67, and for young people aged 12 to 17 from €81 to €96.

The increase follows the April indexation of De Lijn’s fares, when prices rose by an average of 18%.

More checks and violations

This year, until the end of September, more than 2.1 million De Lijn passengers have already been checked. Both the number of checks for fare evasion and the number of violations increased by about a fifth. On average, about 4% of passengers travel without a ticket.

In November, De Lijn also launched a new awareness campaign called ‘Don’t make fare evasion a game’.

Antisocial

“With the new fines, we want to change the minds of fare dodgers and encourage our passengers to change their behavior,” says Ann Schoubs, Director-General of De Lijn. “The ultimate goal remains clear: all passengers must pay the correct fare for their journey.”

“Fare evasion is antisocial; it is unfair to society and to passengers who do pay for their journey,” adds Flemish Minister of Mobility Annick De Ridder (N-VA).