Students of Leuven Catholic University (KU) and UCLL University of Applied Sciences can use the student bus pass and ride for free on De Lijn buses once again in the next academic year.
A decision to this effect was approved on Monday evening by the Leuven City Council.
The bus pass allows students to use De Lijn buses for free in the city's Zone 30. The pass costs a KU Leuven student a one-off fee of €20 while a UCLL student pays €25.
The proposal was approved by majority parties Vooruit, Groen (Greens) and Christen-Democratische en Vlaams (CD&V). The opposition Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie (N-VA) and Open VLD voted against, while Vlaams Belang abstained.
“Should we promote the bus to young people?”, N-VA councillor Zeger Debyser wondered during the discussion on the bus pass on Monday. “The Groen party used to criticize this in the past, when it was not yet on the council. Now that it's at the helm, it has changed its mind.”
Debyser suggested introducing a more limited bus pass, instead of an open one that allows students to ride for free for a full academic year.
Alderman for Mobility David Dessers (Groen) was not completely against that idea, but first wanted to have the system undergo a thorough evaluation. For now, that is not possible because the two Corona years have given a skewed picture of bus usage, Dessers explained.
Dessers also left open the option of working with income categories in future. “But now is not the time to abolish the bus pass," he said. "For many families it is also a major financial advantage, especially in these difficult times.”
