With four different operators managing various modes of public transport in Belgium, travelling from one point to another can become complex and expensive. A so-called "combi-ticket" could solve the problem.
Anyone wishing to rely on public transport to travel from rural Flanders to the Ardennes in Wallonia faces buying a ticket for a De Lijn bus or tram, another for an SNCB train and likely also a bus ticket from Walloon public transport company TEC.
This complicates taking public transport and it sometimes becomes unaffordable, with ticket prices for all transport modes increasing in recent months.
This means that many continue to drive, seeing this as a cheaper option. In a bid to resolve this issue and make public transport "simple, cheap and attractive again," Vooruit MP Joris Vandenbroucke has introduced the idea of a combi-ticket – a proposal that the Federal Government is now considering.
"This way we convince people to use public transport and leave the car at home. It's good for the climate, good for Belgian tourism and good for our wallets," Vandenbroucke said when unveiling the proposal in March last year.
For long-distance outings in Belgium, many opt to travel by car over taking public transport due to the higher cost. Credit: Belga / Eric Lalmand
The proposed combi-ticket would cost €7 at any time of the day and week, without distinguishing between off-peak and peak hours or weekdays and weekends. It would be valid for one day and allow travellers unlimited use of all buses, trams and trains.
A similar system already exists at a national level in Austria and Germany. In the Brussels region the BruPass (introduced in February 2021) allows people to travel in and around Brussels with a single transport ticket valid for the four public transport operators.
Proposal approved
The proposed day ticket at a fixed price would apply to all public transport across Belgium. On Tuesday, the Federal Parliament's House Committee on Mobility approved the proposed resolution.
"The Committee voted for my proposal to explore a single affordable combi-ticket for unlimited use of public transport nationwide. A no-brainer in this traffic-congested country," Vandenbroucke said following the announcement.
In its resolution, the Chamber instructs the Federal Government to examine the plan with the regions and public transport companies. The text now needs to be approved in a plenary session.
Delivering on expectations
Federal Mobility Minister Georges Gilkinet has welcomed the resolution, stating it is "clearly the direction" in which Belgium is going and in which it "must go further."
"Together with my regional colleagues, I have already unblocked the file of the combi transport ticket for the four operators in the Brussels region, the BruPass," he said in a statement to The Brussels Times.
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The four public transport operators have been asked to work together for the introduction of an even more integrated payment system, including other means of transport.
"Transport operators must align their offer with citizen expectations and not their own constraints," Gilkinet concluded, adding that abolishing VAT on all public transport would be "part of the same logic."
