Vlaamse Vervoersmaatschappij De Lijn (, ), more commonly known as De Lijn, is a

state-owned enterprise A state-owned enterprise (SOE) is a business entity created or owned by a national or local government, either through an executive order or legislation. SOEs aim to generate profit for the government, prevent private sector monopolies, provide goo ...

run by the

Flemish government The Flemish Government ( ) is the executive branch of the Flemish Community and the Flemish Region of Belgium. It consists of a government cabinet, headed by the Minister-President of Flanders, Minister-President and accountable to the Flemish Par ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

to provide

public transport Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of whic ...

with about 2240 buses and 399 trams. De Lijn was founded in 1991 after the public transport companies of

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

and

Ghent Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...

merged with the Flemish part of the NMVB (Nationale Maatschappij van Buurtspoorwegen, or the "National Company of Local Railways").

Socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

politician Steve Stevaert of

Hasselt Hasselt (, , ) is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of Limburg (Belgium), Limburg in the Flemish Region of Belgium. As of 1 August 2023, Hasselt had a total population of 80,846. The old ...

implemented a policy allowing registered residents in

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...

aged 65+ to ride anywhere in

free. This has since been changed to allowing inhabitants aged 65+ to purchase cheap annual passes which are valid throughout de Lijn. For 56 euros, senior citizens can now travel freely as often as they wish. Other incentives exist for people under the age of 25. De Lijn is viewed as an important tool in reducing heavy traffic congestion, together with the NMBS, Belgium's national rail operator. In 2016, it transported more than 518.8 million passengers in an area with a population of approximately 6.5 million. De Lijn operates: * The Antwerp Tramway, with both street running and underground light rail ( Antwerp Pre-metro). * The Ghent Tramway, mostly street running with some reserved track. * The Coast Tram, an

interurban The interurban (or radial railway in Canada) is a type of electric railway, with tram-like electric self-propelled railcars which run within and between cities or towns. The term "interurban" is usually used in North America, with other terms u ...

line along the whole Belgian coast, between De Panne and Knokke. * All urban, suburban and intercity buses in

. Because of the dense rail network, intercity buses serve as local transport between big cities and smaller communities. The time taken to travel from one city to another by bus is usually longer than for the same journey on the train because bus lines are less straight, as they pass through many small towns that are not served by rail. The buses are more city-style (no coaches are used). In the province of Limburg, where there are few railways, buses are the main mode of intercity travel. There are also express intercity buses there. Fares are the same on all modes of transport. De Lijn issues a smartcard called the ''Lijnkaart'' and runs a chain of shops under the name ''Lijnwinkel''. De Lijn also supports the Flemish Tram and Bus Museum, located in Antwerp and connected to the tracks of the Antwerp Tramway.

References

External links

Official website (in Dutch)
{{Transport in Belgium Public transport operators Companies based in Antwerp Province Public transport in Belgium Mechelen 1991 establishments in Belgium Transport companies established in 1991 Government-owned companies of Belgium

See also

References

External links