The new STIB youth rate is a bull’s eye among the students. Sales of the number of school subscriptions have increased by no less than 40 percent compared to 2020 and 2019. In 2021, 35,812 school subscriptions were already sold, compared to 25,615 in 2020.
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In March, the Brussels government decided to offer pupils, students and young people between the ages of 18 and 24 a new discounted rate. The price fell by 75 percent, from 50 euros per year to 12 euros per year. The youth rate should convince young people to opt for public transport whenever possible. Other existing discounts, such as those for people over 65 or for subsistence wage earners, will be retained.
Brussels minister of mobility Elke Van den Brandt is very satisfied with these figures: ‘You have learned something new, even when it comes to the way you move through the city. We want to give young people a taste of the freedom and convenience that a STIB subscription offers them as early as possible. These figures show that targeted pricing really makes a difference.’
Motivate young people
‘Every young Brussels resident should be able to move around our region effortlessly and without too much expense. I am therefore very pleased that young people in Brussels are making massive use of the advantageous youth rate. I hope this will facilitate the travel of our students and that it will motivate our young people to make even more use of the high-quality range of our services,” said Prime Minister Rudi Vervoort.
In 2019, 24,447 young people had the school subscription. In 2020, despite the corona crisis, there were 25,615. For Van den Brandt, the enormous jump that is now being made compared to 2020 (+40 percent) and 2019 (+46 percent) is the result of the new discounted rate. STIB can absorb the increase in the number of travelers thanks to the high investments from the region. The STIB transports more than 400 million travelers every year.
Every minute and a half
The range of buses, trams and metros will expand this term, with 20 percent extra places on the bus, several new tram lines, a new metro line, and the increased frequency of the metro, which will run every one and a half minutes instead of every other minute. three minutes during rush hour.
From 1 February 2022, this youth rate will also apply to non-studying young people between the ages of 18 and 24. STIB expects a similar success with this target group.
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