“This is an important step in the roll-out of our new mobility vision,” says Flemish Mobility Minister Lydia Peeters (Open Vld). After a lengthy tender procedure, the government chose the German-American ViaVan as the operator of the future Mobility Center, a kind of taxi center where we will soon have to order all kinds of transport to get to our destination. They will replace some of De Lijn’s buses.
ViaVan is a collaboration between the German Mercedez-Benz Vanz and the American Via, which is headquartered in New York. It already offers transport on request in several European cities, including Amsterdam, Berlin and London. In doing so, it often works together with local authorities. The multinational therefore has a solid reputation. “We make cities liveable, efficient and connected”, it sounds on its own website.
In Flanders, ViaVan must ensure that everyone can switch smoothly between a maze of means of transport, which are also offered by different companies. After all, in the new transport system the network is divided into layers: a core of main lines, a network of additional lines and an amalgam of vans, taxis, shared cars and flex systems as ‘customized transport’. In short, we will have to switch much more often.
100 million euros
The intention is that you will soon indicate where you want to go via an app, a website or a telephone exchange, after which you will be told which mode of transport is most suitable. Each journey is calculated via the system. A technical feat for which even De Lijn declined because it was too complex. She now sees some of her duties being lost. “The Mobility Center will help travelers navigate the new mobility landscape,” says Peeters.
ViaVan already won the contract in April, but the tender was contested twice at the Council of State by the Dutch company that just missed out on the contract, Qarin BV from Amsterdam. The first time the Flemish government had to justify its decision better, a second time the complaint was rejected. The government has now concluded a contract worth 100 million euros, good for the next eight years.
It remains unclear when the switch will come. The reform of public transport has been in preparation for years and was supposed to come into effect on January 1, 2022, but the switch turns out to be much more complex than expected. An investigation by The morning showed that there is a threat of ‘transportation deserts’: large rural areas where people fall without a smooth connection. At the moment it is still not clear whether and how these gaps will be filled.
Delay
The 1,000 nodes promised to switch from one mode of transport to another are also lagging behind, although they are a crucial link in the new system. Hoping to speed this up, the Flemish government approved a new subsidy scheme under which cities and municipalities can reclaim up to 100 percent of the price for the construction of a junction.
It more and more looks like the reform will be postponed by a year, although Peeters does not want to say so yet. It is clear that there will be a delay. “The procedures before the Council of State have caused delays. The roll-out of customized transport also requires all the attention,” she says. “In the new system, everything is connected. If one link doesn’t work, the rest can’t function either.”
As early as April, the Mobility Council of Flanders and the Association of Flemish Cities and Municipalities (VVSG) argued for a postponement because chaos loomed.
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