The results of the benchmark have not yet been published, however The morning she could already look in. For example, De Lijn gets a pipe for reliability and punctuality, although she receives some leniency because she does not always have a grip on the causes of delays. Just think of the poor flow of buses and trams in traffic.
The productivity of the drivers is low. This is partly because their timetables are not that flexible. For example, a shift should not be split too much. The unions at De Lijn, who are threatening with a strike during the Christmas holidays, will not be so happy with this score. Apart from the staff, the buses also have to grind more kilometers. Now an average of 15 percent of it has stopped.
An important ray of hope: De Lijn drivers score positively in terms of friendliness. The traveler also pays a much lower rate for a ride in Flanders than abroad. Moreover, that ride is quite safe.
Why this is important now? Until now, De Lijn is the only company that is allowed to run trams and buses in Flanders. But the Flemish government decided that the transport company must prove itself if it wants to maintain that privileged position. From Europe, Flanders may divest De Lijn or allow it to compete with private players. “If De Lijn wants to keep its monopoly, it will have to stand the comparison with private contractors”, warned Flemish Minister of Mobility Lydia Peeters (Open Vld) last year.
An insufficient
The Jambon government ordered a study of nearly 300,000 euros from the Dutch consultancy Inno-V. The agency was instructed to give De Lijn a neutral assessment on ten points, including its productivity, its rate per kilometer, the quality of its service and the extent to which it can make ends meet with its income from tickets and subscriptions – its so-called ‘ cost recovery ratio ‘.
On these points, it was compared with ten transport companies in regions that are comparable to Flanders in terms of population density and spatial distribution: Wallonia (where De Lijn was compared with the TEC), the Netherlands, Scotland, Norway, Denmark, Germany, France, Switzerland and Austria.
Conclusion? De Lijn is doing worse than average, but not bad enough to push her aside. “If someone comes home with a moderate tube, it’s still a tube. At the same time, this report does leave enough room and nuance to give De Lijn another chance, ”says Minister Peeters. “After a fierce debate in the government, we have therefore decided to appoint De Lijn as an internal operator for another ten years. In which we will insert a mid-term evaluation in five years, in 2025. ”
The decision is very sensitive. The transport company has seen its operating budget shrink for ten years. According to the unions, the imposed savings are a tactic of government parties Open Vld, N-VA and CD&V to save De Lijn to pieces, so that they can be easily pushed aside afterwards. For example, they already transferred the local routes from De Lijn to the local authorities. Until now, this decision about De Lijn’s monopoly hung like a sword of Damocles over her head.
Under receivership
The threat has not completely passed yet. The Flemish government is still planning to organize a pilot project in 2023 in which De Lijn will have to compete against private players in a certain region – perhaps Limburg. This project was included in the coalition agreement at the request of the liberals.
In addition, the Flemish transport company is placed under guardianship. For example, the Flemish government will include a number of measurable objectives in the new management agreement that will be concluded next year. If it fails, financial sanctions will follow. “The productivity per driver must be higher”, is one of the working points. The high level of absenteeism due to illness must also be tackled. The number of strikes must also be reduced.
The benchmark comes on top of De Lijn’s other concerns. Punctuality has been at an all-time low for a while, staff dissatisfaction is enormous and travelers have dropped out en masse due to the corona virus. Director General Roger Kesteloot recently announced that he will be retiring early on January 1. As a result, all hope now rests on the shoulders of his successor Ann Schoubs.
Yesterday, Schoubs received an early ‘Christmas present’ from the government: a plan for minimal services on strike days. Since the unions and management cannot agree on this, Minister Peeters is now putting her own regulation on the table. Roughly speaking, staff members must inform them at least three days in advance that they are on strike, so that De Lijn can develop an appropriate service. Requests drivers are not allowed. This is how it works at the NMBS.
Both the socialist trade union ACOD and the Christian ACV are not satisfied with the proposal. They hope that they can still work out a “more workable and more supported” scheme with the management of De Lijn.
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