Children in special education in Roeselare spend half the time on the bus thanks to a pilot project

The Catholic education umbrella has conducted a survey among school boards of special education. Several managements indicated that the agreement of a maximum ride time of 90 minutes is in danger of being exceeded.

Minibuses and taxis scaled back?

A contact person from De Lijn would even have stated that the 90-minute rule no longer applies. According to the cabinet of Minister Lydia Peeters, the rule will remain intact. “De Lijn is working hard to solve problems.”

The minibuses and taxis introduced last year to shorten travel times would be scaled back. But according to the Peeters cabinet, that is not true. However, children who were brought by taxi last year may now have to travel by bus because it is more efficient.

Walking or cycling

In the past, all students of the special education of Sint-Idesbald in Roeselare were also picked up by bus. As a result, the travel time of some students with extra needs was much too high.

The school has been working with cycling and walking pools for several years now. “We screen the students to see if they can go to school in a different way. In small groups we guide them by bike or on foot. We also have a mobi coach who trains students to use public transport,” says director Gerrit Demolder.

180 minutes

The project is paying off: “We currently have a reduction of about 50 to even 60 percent. Before 2017, students could spend 120 to 180 minutes on the bus. Currently, that is about 90 minutes to peaks of 105 minutes,” says Mher Ghazarian, coordinator of the pilot project.

The project is also running in other schools in West Flanders and receives funding from Flanders for this.