Tragedy in Buggenhout: Why was no action taken following complaints about the school bus driver’s driving behaviour?

Tragedy struck in Buggenhout last Tuesday when four people lost their lives in a collision at a rail level crossing between a bus and a train.

Exactly what happened on that fateful day is still under judicial investigation. Yet, at the same time, many questions are being raised. This is because, in recent years, several complaints have been lodged about the driver’s driving behaviour by various supervisors on bus route 137.

They say they tried to raise the alarm with the school, the bus company and the provincial authorities, but to no avail.

‘Nothing was done about the complaints. We were told that no other drivers were available. That makes it even more painful; this should never have happened’ one attendant told VRT News.

Why was no action taken?

The big question now is: what happened to those warning signs from the bus attendants? Why was no action taken? And is there actually sufficient oversight over who is driving school buses?

This is what the bus company, a subcontractor, and Flemish public transport company De Lijn have to say:

The bus company refers us to De Lijn for a response. De Lijn is only aware of two minor speeding offences in a 30 km/h zone.

“We have communicated what we have always been told, namely that the driver had no criminal record and that there were two minor offences,” says De Lijn. “We have now once again asked the bus company for full clarity, and we want to establish this clarity too.”

This is what the school says:

When we ask the school for a response, the management initially refers us to the provincial authorities. But yesterday afternoon, the headteacher sent this response, which she has also sent to the parents.

‘Unfortunately, there are a great many reports appearing in the press. We cannot confirm everything in the reports, and some things are simply not true. As a school, it is not our role to make a value judgement or to conduct the investigation ourselves.’

‘Any reports we receive from our staff regarding any driver are always passed on to the driver’s employer. From then on, we have to rely on the employer to take appropriate action. We can never take any action against a bus driver ourselves, as we are not the employer.’

She also wishes to emphasise that all reports are forwarded to the bus companies. ‘Matters relating to this driver were all forwarded to the public prosecutor’s office last week.’

This is what the province, responsible for the attendants on school buses, says

The province is responsible for the bus supervisors and was willing to speak to VRT news yesterday afternoon.

‘I understand that many questions are being raised. The school and the provincial administration are cooperating fully,’ says Kurt Moens, the member of the East Flanders provincial executive responsible for education.

‘The procedure we always follow is that we pass on complaints and discuss them with the bus company and sometimes also with De Lijn. They were sometimes copied in as well.’

He confirms that there were also complaints about this driver. ‘Those complaints date from before the accident. I cannot and must not go into further detail regarding their content, in the interests of the investigation and the peace of mind of all the victims. However, the complaints have been recorded by the transport company and we have also passed them on to the public prosecutor’s office.’

‘The management is very committed to pupil safety. They always discuss such issues and pass on concerns to the transport company. I can vouch for that.’

When asked whether there are any other such cases, he replies: ‘There are always issues, but not of that nature.’

This is what the public prosecutor’s office says

In an official response, the public prosecutor’s office informs VRT News that the investigation is “in full swing”. Driving behaviour will undoubtedly be examined as part of this. After VRT NEWS broadcast accounts of concerns about the driver’s behaviour, the public prosecutor’s office stated: “We are aware of the complaints and will, of course, investigate this issue.”

At a press conference last week, the public prosecutor’s office did emphasise that the driver had a clean criminal record. According to information collected by VRT News, the driver has no convictions to his name, neither in the criminal court nor in the police court.