“It's nice that it will be eliminated for next year,” says Smeulders. “We hope that a new cabinet will come up with more structural solutions to improve our public transport.”
Travelers in Brabant can breathe a sigh of relief because the previously announced 12% price increase for public transport in 2024 has been cancelled. This welcome turnaround is thanks to the recently adopted Bikker motion in the House of Representatives. This motion makes it possible that the inflation correction of approximately 12%, which would normally be recovered from the traveler, does not have to be implemented. This is made possible by an additional contribution from the government to the provinces, with Brabant receiving approximately 8 million euros to cover these costs.
In addition to this important development, the province of Brabant also has private not to implement the planned additional price increase for 2024, which is separate from the inflation correction and for which no compensation is provided from the government. This means that the rates for bus lines, Bravoflex and the regional taxi will remain the same as in 2023. The provincial government has made additional financial resources available for this.
Bikker's recent initiative, the motion on preventing price increases in regional public transport in 2024, emphasizes its commitment to accessible and affordable public transport. This motion, proposed in September 2023, was aimed at maintaining the current rates despite the disappearance of the government contribution and rising operational costs, and was adopted.
These decisions guarantee that the price of a bus ticket in Brabant will not increase in 2024, which is a significant relief for local travelers. In addition, free travel for children up to 12 years old in Brabant will be maintained.
“This is a very nice step,” says mobility deputy Stijn Smeulders. “Public transport has not had an easy time in recent years. Due to staff shortages, but also because the number of travelers has not yet reached pre-corona levels. And while affordable public transport is so incredibly important to combat traffic jams and keep Brabant moving. We therefore hope that this good news can be an extra push for many people to take the bus more often.”
These measures are in line with the objectives of the current Brabant coalition agreement, which states that the province aims not to increase public transport fares in the next four years, with the exception of possible inflation corrections. Smeulders emphasizes the importance of further support from a new cabinet for structural improvements in public transport.
