The Flemish public transport company De Lijn has been ordered to pay compensation to four wheelchair users. The wheelchair users had sued De Lijn, claiming that the public transport company does not do enough to make busses and trams accessible to all. A judge agreed with them and ruled that they should be paid 650 euro each in damages.
Home News
Wheelchair users that sued De Lijn for discrimination awarded 650 euros in damages
Published:
The four wheelchair users had taken De Lijn to court because they felt discriminated against by the Flemish public transport company. They cited 13 incidents between March 2019 and November 2022 in which they were either unable to get on a bus or had difficulty doing so.
Their complaints ranged from a lack of infrastructure that is adapted to the needs of people with reduced mobility, a lack of training among staff to help wheelchair users and even blatant refusals to allow wheelchair users access to public transport.
The four took legal action after their complaints to De Lijn were unsuccessful. A judge in Mechelen ruled in their favour and has ordered De Lijn to make compensation payments of 650 euro each to all 4 plaintiffs. The judge sentenced De Lijn for violations of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and for violations of the 2008 Equal Opportunities Act.
The judge concluded that the number of incidents over a course of several years provided conclusive evidence that the plaintiffs had been discriminated against by De Lijn. He added that wheelchair users should be able to participate in all aspects of everyday life including using public transport.