De Lijn said it is monitoring and adjusting problems with transport for pupils in special education at the start of the new school year, while stressing that the vast majority of the more than 2,100 journeys ran properly.
The Flemish public transport operator, which is also responsible for school transport in special education, acknowledged on Wednesday that a number of issues had been reported. These included overly long journeys and some services that did not run.
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Such problems are a recurring feature at the start of the school year. Media reports regularly highlight children spending hours in transit, exceeding the target maximum journey time of 90 minutes, or being left without transport at short notice.
De Lijn spokesperson Frederik Wittock said some disruption in the first few weeks was to be expected because of the complexity of the operation. He said around 40,000 children have to be transported across more than 2,100 routes, all of which must be organised in a very short period.
He said De Lijn could not provide an exact number of complaints for the first day of term. However, he said most journeys had gone ahead correctly and to a good standard.
According to Wittock, the operator is tracking the problems that have emerged and is making changes where needed. He also said arranging the transport is a major logistical challenge for schools, bus companies and operators.
Problems with transport for pupils in special education have been on the agenda of the Flemish government for some time. At the start of the new school year, education umbrella organisations also called for a concrete action plan for the transport system.
A far-reaching reform of special education school transport is due to take effect from the 2028-2029 school year.
