From Monday 4 April (today), the front doors of trams and buses operated by Brussels public transport company STIB will open again. The front doors of De Lijn vehicles will remain closed for now.
At the beginning of the Covid-19 crisis, public transport companies decided to keep the front doors of their trams and buses closed to protect drivers from being exposed to virus. But for STIB, this is now no longer necessary.
"The decision was not taken lightly. But the face mask remains compulsory for all travellers, and we will also still be carrying out those extra cleanings," STIB spokesperson An Van hamme told local media.
As long as the obligation to wear a face mask on public transport is in force, however, De Lijn buses and trams will keep their front doors closed to passengers, spokesperson Karen Van der Sype told The Brussels Times.
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"The opening of the front doors will probably go hand in hand with the lifting of the face mask obligation," she said. "However, we are waiting for the country's authorities to announce such a decision. But until and unless they make that announcement, we have no plans to open our front doors yet."
Contrary to De Lijn's tram and bus drivers - who are seated very close to the passengers behind them - STIB drivers are usually in closed-off cabins in the front of the vehicles. "This is slightly less the case in the older trams and some buses, but compared to other transport companies, STIB drivers are actually relatively closed off behind glass," said Van hamme.
At the beginning of March, the TreinTramBus passenger organisation already called on public transport companies to start reopening all doors, as closed front doors make it difficult for passengers to ask the driver for information. Trams and buses also lose more time at stops if everyone has to get on and off through the same door.
