As costs rise and the budget remains unchanged, potential adjustments are on the horizon for De Lijn’s school transportation service for special education \u2013 most of these trips are operated by subcontractors.<\/p>\n
The Flemish public transportation company announced this in a letter to the schools. In the letter, De Lijn states that the Flemish government primarily intends to reform school transportation to reduce travel time for all children.<\/p>\n
According to Flemish Minister of Mobility Annick De Ridder (N-VA), without intervention, this year’s school transportation spending would exceed the budget by 10 million euros. The current budget for school transportation amounts to 139 million euros.<\/p>\n
“The Flemish government is once again showing its most antisocial side,” responds the opposition party Groen, which fears that the cost-cutting measures will result in even longer travel times.<\/p>\n
There are approximately 55,000 students in special education in Flanders, 45,000 of whom use school transportation (2024 figures). In 2019, that number was only 34,000, an increase of more than 10,000 students in just a few years.<\/p>\n
This growth also explains why the budget has come under pressure so quickly, especially since the government budget of 139 million euros has not increased accordingly \u2013 the Flemish government instructed De Lijn to revise the school transportation schedule with the “existing budget”.<\/p>\n
In other words, the combination of rising costs, due to higher fuel prices and more expensive contracts with operators, and an increasing number of applications has been putting pressure on the current system and the budget for quite some time.<\/p>\n
That is why De Lijn is currently undertaking a thorough review to develop a new schedule that fits within the budget. In doing so, they are also asking for cooperation from their partners, including both school and transport operators, whose contracts are renegotiated every five to eight years.<\/p>\n
“The education sector provides the necessary bus supervision, while the transport operators provide the vehicles and drivers. Both will need to reassess their services,” the letter states.<\/p>\n
To clarify: in practice, De Lijn primarily handles route planning, quality control, subcontractor contract management, and communication with schools. The carrier (subcontractor) sends the invoice to De Lijn\u2019s provincial offices, specifically the school transportation department. The schools submit trip logs and attendance lists for verification.<\/p>\n
“Children who use school transportation are students with special needs in special education,” says Kim Buyst of Groen. “The fact that the Flemish government is failing to adjust the budget to meet the needs of these very children affects me deeply as a mother and as a former teacher. Minister of Education Zuhal Demir and Minister of Mobility Annick De Ridder clearly have no idea what they are doing to these children.”<\/p>\n
She also emphasizes that there is a shortage of before- and after-school care in special education. In her view, flexible care makes it easier for parents to pick up their children themselves, just as is the case at other schools.<\/p>\n
The majority party, Vooruit, is also concerned about the issue. Member of Parliament Gianna Werbrouck has drafted a policy paper. “Just like the Children’s Rights Commission, I want to expand the right to bus transportation,” she states in it, among other things. “We need to move toward a right to mobility support. That way, parents can also explore other initiatives. Think of mobility coaches, for example. This way, we not only help students who can travel independently with getting to and from school, but we also make them more independent in daily life.”<\/p>\n
Werbrouck also wants to take the distance to school into account. “For students who live less than 4 km from school, we could make more use of shared pickup points. The convenience of being picked up right at the door pales in comparison to the long travel time that follows.”<\/p>\n
FYi: Of the students who use school transportation, 5% spend more than 90 minutes on the bus; 70% spend no more than 60 minutes.<\/p>\n
According to De Ridder, it is important to strike a balance between serving a vulnerable group and operating within available resources. “We must dare to examine the conditions for school transportation. Children sometimes live at two addresses now and sometimes need to be picked up from their grandparents. The reality completely changed. But those rules are determined by the Ministry of Education.”<\/p>\n
“We were not aware of this move by De Lijn beforehand,” says Education Minister Zuhal Demir (N-VA). “We will not comment further on this at this time.” During this legislative term, the student transportation budget is being transferred from Mobility Minister Annick De Ridder (N-VA) to Demir.<\/p>\n
By the end of June, De Lijn will provide schools with clarity on the new schedule.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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As costs rise and the budget remains unchanged, potential adjustments are on the horizon for De Lijn’s school transportation service for special education \u2013 most of these trips are operated by subcontractors. The Flemish public transportation company announced this in a letter to the schools. In the letter, De Lijn states that the Flemish government primarily intends to reform school transportation to reduce travel time for all children. According to Flemish Minister of Mobility Annick De Ridder (N-VA), without intervention, this year’s school transportation spending would exceed the budget by 10 million euros. The current budget for school transportation amounts…<\/p>\n","category_list_v2":"Belgium<\/a>, Mobility<\/a>, Public transport<\/a>, Top Stories Today<\/a>","author_info_v2":{"name":"Luc Joris","url":"https:\/\/newmobility.news\/en\/author\/belga-5\/"},"comments_num_v2":"0 comments","yoast_head":"\n