At the start of the new school year in Flanders, things are traditionally busy at De Lijn because the public transportation company also operates buses for students in special education.
In June, there was a lot of commotion because Flemish Minister of Mobility Annick De Ridder (N-VA) wanted to cut costs on those trips, but that budget adjustment was ultimately scrapped. As a result, starting September 1, more than 2,100 trips will be made every day for special education student transportation.
3,750€ per child
De Lijn manages school transportation, with a budget of 150 million euros, but more than 100 different providers operate the trips. Starting September 1, they will operate 2,132 trips every day, serving a network of 45,000 pickup locations – some students board at different locations on different days – for approximately 40,000 students, which amounts to 3,750 euros per child.
This puzzle must also be reassembled every year because about a quarter of the students change schools, move, or graduate.
No more than 90 minutes
A key element in this is the goal that a single trip should take no more than 90 minutes, but De Lijn cannot yet say to what extent this has been achieved. The work is not yet complete, however. Traditionally, several hundred more registrations are received over the course of the month.
“We transport every student who is entitled to bus transportation,” says the De Lijn spokesperson. “But it’s always quite a puzzle.” As a result, the route may change, which affects the times at which other students can board and disembark. And the additional student(s) may require a different, larger bus
Centralizing complaints
Last school year, there was a fatal accident involving a school bus at a railroad crossing in Buggenhout. Afterward, it turned out that there had been previous complaints about the bus driver’s driving behavior, but that these had not reached De Lijn.
As a result, De Lijn intends to centralize all complaints. It already maintains a registry for complaints received directly and is now asking operators, schools, and parents to forward any complaints they receive or have on file.
In any case, starting with the 2028-2029 school year, student transportation in special education is set to undergo a thorough overhaul.
One more thing: De Lijn recommends that users check the route and departure time in the app or on the website, as it may take a few weeks for the new travel patterns to become fully clear, and adjustments may still be made.
