In February this year, there was a significant drop of 55%. In July, there was a difference of 35% compared to 2019.

Comparably, De Lijn – the Flemish public transportation company has reported similar figures. According to them, there were 50% less passengers in July compared to the previous year.

Considering that many Belgians are not planning to go on holidays this years, these figures were expected.

The post Covid 19: Fewer passengers using public transportation appeared first on Brussels Express.

With these changes, the STIB-MIVB aims to improve the service on several routes, increase the capacity of the successful line 53 and also shorten some line. They write: « Thanks to these new routes, there will be better connections between the municipalities of Anderlecht, Berchem-Sainte-Agathe / Sint-Agatha-Berchem, Jette, Koekelberg, Molenbeek-Saint-Jean / Sint-Jans-Molenbeek and the remaining part of the city. »

Find below the lines that will be affected:

The post New bus routes in the North-West part of Brussels appeared first on Brussels Express.

But beware! The tram always has priority over all other road users, including pedestrians. So, before you cross the street, check that there is no no tram in sight.

Always be attentive. Citizens wearing headphones, or browsing their cell phones, or running to catch a bus, may not see the tram arriving. This is why the STIB launched the campaign « Le tram a toujours priorité »  to remind its passengers and other road users each year so that they will be more cautious and attentive when approaching a tram.

The tram always has priority. This rule of the highway code is explained because the tram is not a vehicle like the others.  The tram cannot be compared to a car because it rolls on rails with steel wheels and it is also much heavier. The grip of its wheels on the rails, when braking, is also less than that of wheeled vehicles, which means that its braking distance is greater.

Important Reminder: THE « BIIIP » IS NOT A STARTING SIGNAL.

The STIB writes:

For your safety, do not go through the doors when you hear the beep.

This signal announces the imminent closing of the doors.

It is forbidden to go up or down when the signal is working.

This is dangerous behavior as you may be trapped between doors and hurt yourself. Not to mention the damage if the vehicle starts when an object is stuck between the doors.

For more information, read the following document.

The post STIB Campaign: The tram always has priority! appeared first on Brussels Express.

This weekend, 19 and 20 of October, the metro line 5 will be interrupted. The disruption is due to the replacement of several track switches and the adaptation of some platforms. During the interruption, also some works on the platforms of the Ceria-Coovi metro station will be carried out.

STIB has announced that an M-bus will replace the metro line between the stations Veeweide/Veeweyde and Erasmus/Erasme. Also, bus 75 will be diverted between the stops Van Beethoven and Bizet via Veeweide/Veeweyde in order to connect to metro 5 in direction Hermann-Debroux.

The post Metro line 5 to be interrupted this weekend appeared first on Brussels Express.

At the beginning of the year, the Stib announced that it planned to employ more than 800 people, of which 500 new drivers. Already, 700 have been engaged in 2019 and the company said that « By the end of the year, the Stib still wants to recruit about fifty drivers, including 30 bus drivers ».

To recruit new personnel, the transport company launched an app, Simbus, which allows you to put yourself in the shoes of a driver and navigate three existing bus routes. « Users who register a good score are invited to take a quick look at jobs.stib.be, » says Johan Claes, manager at Stib.

The post Stib launches Simbus, a bus driving simulator to recruit new personnel appeared first on Brussels Express.

Place Marie-José is going to be completely renovated to create a friendly space for all. The renovation of tram tracks and stops, as well as the removal of the loop around Place Marie-José are part of this work.

During the works, STIB has confirmed that tram lines 8 and 25 are replaced by T-buses between Buyl and Boondael Gare stops from Monday 7 October to Friday 20 December 2019.

T buses

Direction Boondael Gare, the T-buses also serve the stop Cambre-Etoile.

After the Solbosch stop, the T-buses are diverted by Armand Huysmans Avenue and Avenue d’Italie. Marie-José and Brazil are moved there.

In the direction of Buyl, the T-buses serve the Hippodrome de Boitsfort stop and run on Franklin Roosevelt Avenue. Brazil and Marie-José are moved there.

T-bus stops

Direction Boondael Station

• Cambre-Étoile: Avenue of the Mad Song, 2
• Buyl: Adolphe Buyl Avenue, 21 (bus stop 71 towards Delta)
• ULB: avenue Adolphe Buyl, 105 (bus stop 71 direction Delta)
• Solbosch: Solbosch Square, 30 (tram stop)
• Marie-José: Armand Huysmans avenue / Old Tilleul Square
• Brazil: avenue d’Italie, 45 (crossroads with Avenue de la Forêt)
• Boondael Station: avenue de la Forêt, 99

Direction Buyl

• Boondael Station: avenue de la Forêt, 111
• Boitsfort Racecourse: Franklin Roosevelt Avenue, 244
• Brazil: Franklin Roosevelt Avenue, 190
• Marie-José: Franklin Roosevelt Avenue, 112
• Solbosch: Antoine Depage Avenue, 39
• ULB: avenue Adolphe Buyl, 144 (tram stop)
• Jeanne: square Albert Devèze (bus stop 71 towards De Brouckère)
• Buyl: Hippodrome Avenue, 200 (bus stop 71 to De Brouckère)

The post Tram 8-25 interrupted because of renovations of Place Marie-José appeared first on Brussels Express.

The complainant is a lawyer. She applied for two positions, one from Legal Officer and the other from Business Analyst, two functions that are not in contact with the public, and in both cases she was not hired. Unia and the League of Human Rights ensure that her assessment was good. Thus, the complainant believes that the reason she was not hired was her intention to keep her veil.

So, last May, Unia with the League of Human Rights introduced to the Labor Court an « action to stop discrimination » against the STIB, which is the largest employer in Brussels.

The STIB challenges this version of the facts: « If the person was not hired, it is because she did not have the skills required, » insists Francoise Ledune, Stib’s spokesman.

After the exchange of a number of « sets of conclusions » of the different parties, the hearing is scheduled for 23 April. The court will then have to estimate whether it is a case of discrimination or not.

The post Lawsuit against STIB for discrimination against a veiled woman appeared first on Brussels Express.

The rue de l’Entrepôt / Stapelhuisstraat and the rue Dieudonné Lefèvrestraat are renewed.

The bus will now be operating on these streets from Saturday the 28th of September onwards.

The stops Steamers / Stoomboten, Entrepôt / Stapelhuis and Dieudonné Lefèvre are operated by bus 88 instead of the stops Avenue du Port / Havenlaan, Picard and Escaut / Schelde.

The post After 4 years of deviation, bus 88 is back to serving the former route appeared first on Brussels Express.

Once the measure is implemented, residents under the age of 25 and those over the age of 65 can use the network for free.

The head of the company, Brieuc de Meeûs stated that the measure should be effective as of July 2020.

However the financial implications of this measure have yet to be seen as it implies a loss of 12 million Euros a year.

The post Public transportation will be free of charge for those under 25 and above 65 appeared first on Brussels Express.

After that, around March 2020, the STIB plans to start the first rides on busier routes. In fact, it will be inaugurated an autonomous connection between the Houba-Brugmann metro station and the hospital with the same name. However, An Van Hamme specifies that this new line is still on negotiation. In fact, the STIB still needs a double authorization, from the city of Brussels and from FPS Mobility and Transports.

The SAM-e (Smart Autonomous Mobility Electric) buses are produced by EasyMile, a French company, which already operates in some cities like Lyon, Las Vegas and Oslo. Each shuttle can carry up to twelve people and it is provided with a Lidar system, for detecting obstacles. Its purpose, in Brussels, will be to directly connect the houses with the main bus, tram and metro stations.

The post Self-driving buses to operate soon in Brussels appeared first on Brussels Express.