Encourage the use of public transport

That's how you do it

Public transport is not by definition more environmentally friendly. For example, NOx emissions from buses are about ten _times higher than those from passenger cars. This can be compensated by a sufficiently high occupancy rate of those buses. In Flanders, a local government cannot directly control public transport, after all, that is done by De Lijn. You can insist that the organization:

• A system to help pay the price for a ride with, for example, a third-party payer system (see below),
• an increased travel quality with, for example, covered stops or a shorter travel time, this must be requested from De Lijn,
• a tailor-made offer

Tips

• If you want to introduce certain measures for public transport in Flanders, you should not only consult with De Lijn, but also with the surrounding municipalities. A good connection with the train offerings is important at train stations, so you should discuss this with the NMBS. The consultation on this is organized in the transport region, which is the ideal platform for organizing this.
• Studies show that free or cheaper public transport leads to more use of public transport, but not automatically to the same amount of less car use. Often the new users are cyclists or people who simply did not make the journey before. Additional measures to discourage car use therefore remain appropriate.

Knowing more

• Third payment system: De Lijn offers local authorities various options to intervene in the price of travel. You can find the different options here .
• Travel time can be shortened by improving the flow of public transport thanks to a separate lane/bed for buses or trams. Traffic lights can also be optimized to give way to buses and trams. This does not only concern local roads, but also regional roads. A municipality can refer this to the “Agency for Roads and Traffic and this is best within the framework of the transport region”.

More information

• De Lijn offers to cities and municipalities (De Lijn, Flanders)
• Flemish transport regions (Flanders)
• Tackling air pollution from traffic (Department of Environment, Nature and Energy, Flanders)