The municipality of Zonnebeke in West Flanders is suing public transport operator De Lijn over disruptions caused by the implementation of De Lijn’s new transport plan.
The roll-out of the new plan led to significant issues with De Lijn buses at the beginning of the year, in particular for students going to school in Ypres who were arriving late due to bus delays.
The municipality of Zonnebeke subsidises public transport for local students going to school by bus, and is now demanding that De Lijn extend those subscriptions to compensate for the disrupted service.
Plan 'not implemented properly'
"These problems were not due to the new transport plan but because it wasn’t implemented properly," explained Mobility Councillor Koen Meersseman (#TEAM8980). "The problems persisted, and we have discussed them multiple times."
While De Lijn has made some adjustments in the meantime, and the situation has improved, as residents couldn't rely on public transport services at the beginning of the year the municipality is seeking compensation.
"The service was unreliable, so our travellers deserve compensation or an extension of their subscriptions," Meersseman stated.
He also noted that the fleet of buses used by De Lijn in the municipality is outdated, and there "needs to be investment in newer buses".
