A roundtable conference earlier this year resulted in a 10-point plan to ensure increased safety for drivers and inspectors. One of those action points is the accelerated roll-out of safety control posts on the buses. De Lijn started a pilot project last year to provide a more closed driver’s station on existing vehicles. In the meantime, that project is being rolled out to all buses under its own management, according to De Lijn.
The first lot of 400 screens will be delivered by the supplier from the end of August. “In September, De Lijn will start installing those screens in the buses. The number of vehicles with a safety driver’s station is thus expanded. New vehicles are already equipped with shielded driver’s posts anyway,” said Flemish Minister of Mobility Lydia Peeters (Open VLD).
The action plan also provides for more public transport inspectors. “In Hasselt, for example, two employees will start as inspectors in October, a third is scheduled for January. In addition, De Lijn will continue to focus on recruiting additional inspectors. An extensive recruitment procedure will be underway in the coming months,” Ann Schoubs, director general of De Lijn, points out.
Verbal and physical violence against De Lijn staff has been a problem for some time. In 2022, the company had 338 acts of physical aggression against drivers and inspectors. In addition to suffering and work incapacity, this often causes actions by disgruntled staff and the trade unions
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