Getting to your destination without worries is the most important thing.
From July 1, transport company De Lijn will be making some adjustments to bus connections, including in West Flanders. Earlier this year, De Lijn introduced a new transport plan, but based on comments from travelers, various changes have now been implemented to make the service more logical and efficient. According to VRT NWS, most changes will take place in the Bruges region and Central West Flanders.
“For Bruges, the adjustments mainly focus on the school lines, with the aim of achieving more punctual services,” says Marco Demerling of De Lijn. In addition, the frequency of certain journeys will be increased. In the Central West Flanders region, some lines are being adjusted, including extra journeys on school days.
On bus line 41, which connects Bruges with Knokke, extra buses are deployed during peak hours for students and employees of custom companies. Evening journeys will also be added on other lines. “On line 20, which runs from Bruges to Tielt, there will be an extra trip in the evening at 20 p.m. from Oostkamp to Bruges. In addition, night and evening journeys will be introduced between Bruges, Oostkamp, Ruddervoorde and Zwevezele-Hille,” says Demerling.

In other provinces there may be reductions in supply due to a shortage of spare parts for electric buses and an aging fleet. “This problem is less prevalent in West Flanders. Here we are more likely to suffer from a shortage of drivers and technicians, which are bottleneck professions. Our fleet is outdated in some regions, and if buses cannot be repaired, they cannot be deployed, leading to adjustments in timetables,” a spokesperson explained to VRT NWS.
These adjustments are a direct result of the feedback from travelers since the introduction of the new transport plan earlier this year. De Lijn says it has listened intensively to the comments of travelers and tried to respond to their wishes and needs as best as possible. The focus is on improving punctuality, especially on busy lines and during peak hours, as well as offering more evening journeys to better respond to traveler demand.
The decision to deploy extra buses on line 41 and add evening trips on line 20 is a direct response to the wishes of students and employees who depend on public transport at specific times. Through these changes, De Lijn hopes to offer a more reliable and customer-friendly timetable that better meets the daily needs of its users.
The adjustments they provide from July 1 and September 1 can be consulted on De Lijn's website from today. Travelers can use the route planner to check whether there have been any changes to their travel route and whether they have new travel options. On the De Lijn website (www.delijn.be/adaptations) they will also find an overview per province. New timetable tables will also be posted at the stops involved.