According to figures from the Brussels regional transport agency Brussel Mobiliteit, the number of children in the capital that are taken to and/or picked up from school by car continues to decline. Around 83% of schools say that there has been an increase in the number of pupils that travel to and from school on foot or by bike
The number of home to school journeys made by car has been falling since 2022, while the number of journeys made on foot, by bicycle or on public transport has increased.
This is all too evident in the vicinity of schools, many of which have school transport plans to help pupils and parents find safe routes to walk or cycle to school.
In 2025, 32.4% of pupils in nursery and primary education went to school by car (either in their parent/guardian’s vehicle or as part of a carpooling arrangement). This is down from 35.5% in 2023. 45% of pupils either walked or went by bike, up from 43% in 2023.
Brussel Mobilteit says that "These results show a considerable increase in bicycle use, particularly in normal primary education where there was an increase from 3.45% to 6.2% between 2018 and 2025”.
Active mobility
There was also an increase in the number of secondary school children travelling to school by bike, albeit much smaller than was the case among children in primary education.
Of the 850 schools in Brussels, 336 have school transport plans. These schools can utilise a host of teaching aids and support programmes to promote active mobility (cycling and walking).
The Brussels regional transport minister Elke Van den Brandt (Flemish green) told the Brussels regional news platform Bruzz that “Parents want their child to get to the school gates safely and the figures confirm this. More and more children are going to school on foot or by bike. More than 100,000 pupils are already doing this”.