Calm has by no means returned at the Flemish public transportation company De Lijn now that the Flemish government is planning cuts of 35,5 million euros. These cuts would lead to the elimination or shortening of several bus routes in the various provinces.

Following an initial week of action in mid-March, the unions at De Lijn are planning a second week of action from April 7 through 10 to protest the consequences of the plans.

Unanimous vote against in Limburg

The Limburg Regional Transport Council has once again firmly rejected De Lijn’s proposed cuts of 5,5 million euros in the province. All cities and municipalities voted unanimously against the proposal. Only the Deputy for Mobility, Laura Olaerts (N-VA) – a party colleague of Minister of Mobility Annick De Ridder – abstained from the vote.

The announced cuts would eliminate 17 bus routes, reducing De Lijn’s bus service in Limburg by 8%.

However, the Flemish government has since reduced the planned cuts by 8,5 million euros. For the Limburg region, this meant a reduction in the pressure to cut costs by 1,15 million euros.

With that budget, De Lijn developed two scenarios, in which the choice seemed to come down to maintaining service in Diest, Lummen, and Lanaken/Sint-Truiden or in Tongeren.

But the regional transport council once again unanimously rejected the plans, partly out of frustration that De Lijn had not developed a new, more comprehensive plan. According to the transport company, too many operational steps had already been taken since early March to allow for a thorough revision of the plans.

Most transport regions oppose the plans

14 of the 15 transport regions have now voted against the cost-cutting plans. On average, the savings in Flanders amount to €5 per resident. In the Flemish Ardennes, that figure is €13 per resident – more than double. By comparison, the Antwerp transport region must save 6,2 million, or 2,8% of its budget. The Flemish Ardennes must save 3 million, but that represent 15,6% of its budget.

According to the ACV union, 15,6% of services would be cut in the province of East Flanders. Under the plans, many lines are at risk of no longer running on Sundays.

To identify potential savings, De Lijn started by looking at routes with an average maximum occupancy of fewer than 8 passengers, and used this as the basis for setting savings targets by region. As a transport region with a metropolitan core, you fare better in such an exercise than rural regions.

Second week of action

But the unions also point to the broader context of budget cuts. In addition to the previously announced cut of 35,5 million euros, the ACV stated that there was an additional shift of 17 million euros, 8,5 million of which must be found within De Lijn’s internal operations.

According to the union, this puts the organization under further pressure. Among other things, the unions are complaining about staff shortages and high workloads, as well as the condition of the equipment, and they fear that the budget cuts are a precursor to further privatization, in which profitable routes will be transferred to private companies and De Lijn itself will become a “stripped-down” service.

Consequently, the unions have planned a second week of action. It will take place from April 7 through April 10, with actions in Flemish Brabant (April 7), Limburg (April 8), Antwerp (April 9), and East and West Flanders (April 10).

For the rest, the ball is now back in the Flemish government’s court. The advice of the regional transport councils is not binding – the final decision rests with De Lijn and the Flemish government.