The single-ticket project undertaken by public transport operators STIB, Tec, De lijn and SNCB is ready but cannot come into operation yet, La Libre wrote on Friday.
The reason for the hold-up? It will have to wait until all the new Belgian governments have been formed (Flemish, Walloon and Federal).
The single ticket allowing travel using the services of all operators in the capital and its outskirts was announced in January by the SNCB. The aim is to encourage commuters to leave their vehicles at home in order to get to Brussels without having to buy several tickets.
Jean-Pierre Hansen, the RER representative at the SNCB, had stipulated a few days earlier that the project had to be endorsed by the Executive Committee of Ministers for Mobility (CEMM).
La Libre has learned there has been no such approval. No CEMM was able to be set up before the elections. The project has therefore been postponed indefinitely.
The reality is the matter has been running into political difficulties since 2006. Decisions come down to the CEMM, but the CEMM can decide nothing because of regional discrepancies and institutional barriers.
The four operators are also reported to be having difficulties reaching an agreement. The fare structure and the way in which revenue is allocated are the core issues.
The Brussels Times
