Staff and unions at De Lijn halted work on Monday evening after a bus driver was headbutted by a passenger in Bredene, West Flanders.
The incident occurred following an argument between two passengers and the driver. One of the men assaulted the driver, causing injuries to his nose. “He has a broken nose and a concussion,” said Jens Van Herp, spokesperson for De Lijn.
Colleagues responded quickly to assist the driver. “Our control teams arrived promptly to provide support,” said Van Herp. “We strongly condemn this attack and have handed over footage of the incident to the police for further investigation.”
In response to the assault, employees spontaneously stopped working. “Those still on their routes largely finished their shifts, but no evening services departed from the Ostend depot,” Van Herp explained. “Additionally, several services from Adinkerke and Knokke were cancelled, and eight coastal trams were not operated. Disruptions to the evening service have been significant.”
De Lijn confirmed that discussions have taken place and the disruptions are expected to be resolved by Tuesday morning.
“Everyone will return to work in the morning, but traffic will remain affected for the rest of the evening,” said Van Herp.
