78% of passengers that travelled with the Flemish public transport company De Lijn last year said that they were satisfied with the bus and/or tram service(s) they used. The figures come from a survey carried out by the Flemish Transport and Public Works Department. The satisfaction figure is higher than it was in 2024. However, the survey only covers satisfaction about journey’s made and not with De Lijn in general. For example, timetabling, ticket prices, etc are not included in the survey.
78% of passengers say that they are satisfied with the Flemish public transport company De Lijn
Published:
78% percent of passengers that travelled with De Lijn last year said that they were satisfied with their journey and gave the Flemish public transport company a score higher than 7 out of 10 or more. Just 6% gave De Lijn 5 out of 10 or less. Meanwhile 16% of passengers gave De Lijn 6 out of 10. The figures are in line with 2024 when overall satisfaction stood at 77%.
Satisfaction is highest for journeys made during the weekend (83%), on journeys where there are fewer than 20 passengers (85%), among those that travel less frequently with De Lijn and among passengers over the age of of 25. Passengers that use De Lijn to get to work (81%), go shopping (84%), visit friends or family (84%), or travel in their free time (84%) state higher than average satisfaction levels.
Satisfaction is lower among those that travel during rush hour (76%), make journeys in vehicles where there are more than 50 passengers (75%) and among youngsters under the age of 19 that use the bus to go to school (68%).
The most satisfied passengers are to be found in and around Ostend, Bruges and Kortrijk (all West Flanders) and Ghent and the Flemish Ardennes (both East Flanders).
Passengers in central West Flanders, the Waasland area of East Flanders and Antwerp and Mechelen (Antwerp Province) are the least satisfied. The level of satisfaction with bus journeys is increasing in and around Kortrijk and the Flemish Ardennes, while satisfaction with bus and tram services is falling in Ghent.
What are people satisfied with?
Almost all aspects of passenger satification scored better last year than in 2024. Passengers’ sense of safety, crowding in the vehicle, transfer time, driving style, driver friendliness, and travel information before boarding all received a higher satisfaction rating than in 2024.
The survey shows that passengers’ sense of safety and travel information before boarding have a particularly high impact on overall satisfaction with the journey made with De Lijn.
What could be improved?
Passengers appear to be most dissatisfied with overcrowding, cleanliness, and punctuality.
The time spend waiting while changing bus/tram, travel information during the journey, noise in the vehicle, and onboard climate control received better scores than in 2024 but remain areas where De Lijn still has room for improvement.