Passengers on De Lijn buses or trams without a valid ticket will face higher fines next year.
The first offence for an adult will increase from €107 to €127, confirmed the Flemish public transport operator on Monday.
This marks the first fine increase in over a decade, with the last adjustment occurring in 2015.
The change coincides with the April tariff indexing, which saw ticket prices rise by an average of 18% after years of stagnation. Fines are now adjusted in line with this increase.
If an adult is caught without a ticket for a second time within a year, the fine will rise from €294 to €349. Serious offences such as vandalising buses or trams or using falsified tickets will incur a fine of €296 for the first infringement, up from €250.
Fines for younger passengers will also rise. The penalty for children under 12 years travelling without a valid ticket will increase from €56 to €67, while teenagers aged 12 to 17 will see their fines climb from €81 to €96.
In June, De Lijn launched an action plan to combat fare evasion, which included increasing ticket checks. Between January and November, the number of checks and infringements rose by about 20%, recent data showed. On average, approximately 4% of passengers travel without a ticket.
