Following a storm of criticism over Mobility Minister Annick De Ridder’s (N-VA) plan to cut more than 200 bus routes for special education starting in September – to stay within the set budget of 139 million euros – the Flemish government has decided that no additional cuts will be imposed on De Lijn after all.

The approximately 11 million euros that De Lijn annually spends from its own funds on transporting students to school will now be covered by other budgets.

5 to 6 million euros will come from underutilized student transportation budgets within the Education Department, while the Economy Department will cover the remaining 5 million euros.

“The Flemish government isn’t exactly winning any awards for its handling of this issue,” admits Minister-President Matthias Diependaele.

Authority is shifting to the Department of Education

Diependaele also reiterates that responsibility is shifting from Mobility to Education, because, in his view, the latter is better positioned to address the needs of the most vulnerable children.

A reform is expected to be submitted to the government before the summer recess and to take effect in the 2028-2029 school year. In other words, the problem appears to be resolved for the next two school years.

The reform is intended to reduce bus travel times and integrate with before- and after-school care. However, it remains unclear what impact this reform will have on the available services. Efforts will also be made to improve the working conditions for bus attendants.

Underestimated

The governing parties CD&V and Vooruit have reacted positively to the course correction, although Minister De Ridder admits the measure’s impact was underestimated.

“We collectively underestimated the sensitivity and the impact,” De Ridder told VTM Nieuws. “Especially after the accident in Buggenhout, we should have handled it differently.”

But she does not feel she has been overruled. “I heard the Minister-President say that verbatim,” the minister said, even though it’s hard to argue that she scored any points with the way she handled it. De Ridder stood her ground and reinforced her image as a tough woman who watches the penny.

“It’s very cynical that the Flemish government is now being portrayed as heartless, because the budget was doubled just two to three years ago from 70 to 140 million,”

De Ridder explained, referring to a measure taken by the previous government. “When you see that the budget has been exceeded again after just one year, you have to take action, because I can’t conjure up money out of thin air.”

In the TV studio, she also briefly addressed the criticism from local governments that their applications are taking too long to process, while there’s always money for Antwerp or the Oosterweel project, another issue for which De Ridder came under fire last week.

“That’s a completely unjustified framing,” the minister said. “At first, I could laugh it off a bit, because ultimately, I must get re-elected in Antwerp, but it’s completely at odds with reality. We’ve approved an investment plan with the entire government that includes priorities for all of Flanders.”

She now wants to focus on the reform and the transfer to the Education Department. “I am sincerely convinced that with a good reform, you can even provide better services within the budget,” she said.

Three essential levers

Katholiek Onderwijs Vlaanderen, or Catholic Education Flanders, by far the largest education network in Flanders, welcomes the Flemish government’s decision to adjust its course.

“The postponement of the budget cuts gives us breathing room to truly work on sustainable solutions,” says Director-General Bruno Vanobbergen.

He identifies three essential levers for this, “with the child’s best interests as our guiding principle.” The first is quality: investing in safe vehicles, valued staff, and clear communication with parents. In addition, he advocates for tailored approaches, with multimodal solutions and greater autonomy for schools and parents, moving away from the strict “nearest school” principle.

Finally, he wants a stronger organizational model, with better coordination and structural collaboration between education, transportation, and social services.

“In this way, we’re building, step by step, a system that’s not only more efficient but, above all, meets the needs of students,” concludes Vanobbergen.