Wallonia's Minister for Mobility, François Desquesnes, wants to rebalance public transport fares between the different age groups of users, he announced on Bel-RTL radio on Tuesday.
Certain categories of user are entitled to free or virtually free travel on the regional public transport service, TEC, notably 18-24 year olds, who pay just €12 a year, while 12-17 year olds pay much more.
The minister commissioned his department to do a study of TEC fares. "Does lowering fares mean that more people take the bus? I have just received the results, which show that there is no significant impact from this policy of free or virtually free travel," he explained.
In his opinion, it is "very peculiar" that some "age groups pay full price" and others "not very much". "It's a real difficulty when it comes to clarifying fares," he said.
"We need to rebalance fares between the different age groups and ensure that the money given to reduce fares has a positive impact, so that more people take the bus," the minister stressed.
"Today, it's pedestrians and cyclists who decide to take the bus more," he added.
