De Lijn's flexible buses, which were introduced at the beginning of 2024 as a successor to the dial-a-ride buses, appear in practice to run more often without passengers than with them.
This is evident from figures from De Lijn and a analysis of the Gazet van Antwerpen. In several transport regions, including Antwerp, Mechelen and the Kempen, more than half of the kilometres travelled are driven without passengers. Flemish Parliament member Stephanie Vanden Eede (Vooruit) calls the system too expensive and inefficient and calls on Flemish Minister of Mobility Annick De Ridder (N-VA) to intervene.
The figures released by De Ridder after a written question from MP Els Robeyns (Vooruit) show that the flex buses in the whole of Flanders – with the exception of the Westhoek – drive around more often without passengers than with them. The problem is particularly dire in the Kempen transport region: 69 percent of the kilometers were traveled without passengers in 2024. In Antwerp and Mechelen, that percentage was 61 and 58 percent respectively.
According to Vanden Eede, the flex bus system is a failure and is not an adequate replacement for the cancelled regular bus lines. “The cancellation of the buses and lines last year was a disaster for those who need the bus to get to work, school or the city centre,” she says. “And now it turns out that alternative of the previous Minister of Mobility (Lydia Peeters of Open VLD) clearly no solution either. Flex buses are too expensive and the system does not work. More than half of the time, those buses drive around empty. In the province of Antwerp alone, this amounts to almost 1 million empty kilometers in less than a year. That is too crazy for words, isn't it?"
The flex buses operate according to a reservation system: passengers must book their ride in advance, after which the bus picks them up and drops them off at a certain stop. The idea was to offer a flexible alternative to fixed bus lines in less busy regions, but in practice the efficiency of the system seems low. In addition to the high number of 'empty kilometers', it also appears that almost 10 percent of the rides are not carried out. For every thousand requested rides, 96 passengers have to find another solution.
According to De Lijn, it is inherent to the concept that flex buses have a lower occupancy rate. “Flex buses are used in locations where there is less regular public transport available,” explains spokesperson Marco Demerling. “That means that the flex trips are mainly driven between dispersed and less busy areas. In order to go from the drop-off point of one traveller to the pick-up point of the next traveller, the bus drives a number of empty kilometres in between.”
However, Vanden Eede expects Minister De Ridder to intervene quickly and adjust the policy. “Instead of running expensive and useless flex buses, she would be better off reintroducing certain abolished lines that the people of Antwerp were counting on,” says the politician from Vooruit, who sits in the Flemish government with N-VA.
The future of the flex buses seems uncertain, now that criticism of the system continues to grow and the figures cast doubt on its efficiency. The question remains whether De Lijn will stick to the flexible transport model or whether the Flemish government will opt for a revision of the policy.
