The Brussels metro stations of Schuman, Montgomery and Arts-Loi will soon have new snack vending machines to enable passengers to buy healthy snacks while commuting, said Brussels Mobility Minister Elke Van den Brandt.
Currently, nearly all metro stations have vending machines, but the snacks are all "industrial food with too much sugar or salt," Thomas Naessens, Brussels MP for the Francophone green party Ecolo, told Bruzz.
Last year, the Brussels-Capital Region launched a public tender to look for new operators willing to offer vending machines with healthy food and drink in metro stations, and the first candidate applied in June.
"STIB met the candidate and agreed to carry out a test in three stations: Montgomery, Schuman and Arts-Loi. The test will start as soon as the candidate is operational," Van den Brandt said. This is estimated to be in late January or early February.
How long these new vending machines will remain in the three stations is not yet clear, but the aim is to expand the healthy snack options to other stations as well; in August, a second candidate showed interest. "STIB will meet the candidate as soon as it has collected the necessary documents for its candidature," Van den Brandt said.
The public tender is still ongoing and potential operators can apply via STIB's website.
